Different Beginnings
by Mem0ry
Summary: What if Naruto was able to have actual parents for a few years? Fem-Sasuke
1. Strange Beginnings

Naruto Namikaze walked down the street donning his new outfit that he had bought the day before with his older brother figure Itachi Uchiha. His mother's best friend was Mikoto Uchiha the Uchiha matriarch so it was only logical that their children got together well. Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Suki were Mikoto's two children with Itachi being the clan heir and older than the other two. Suki was the daughter of Mikoto and was six years old, just like Naruto yet she is 3 months older.

Suki was a spitting image of her mother with her dark hair flowing down to her mid-back contrasting against her pale lavender skin with the signature charcoal eyes of the Uchiha, she had her hair up in a high ponytail that reached her shoulders while bangs framed her face from the sides like curtains that were pushed back. On the flip side of the coin, Naruto was the spitting image of his father with his bright yellow hair and seemingly electric azure eyes, making him an adorable little boy. He did not have his father's feminine features though because his mom's side kicked in and gave him a more round face.

Naruto was taken out of his musings by arriving at the front of the academy and immediately brightened at the thought of getting strong and being a better Hokage than his father. He immediately deflated though when he noticed everyone with their parents and couldn't help but pout. His mother was on a C-rank mission with her gennin team and his father was working either in his office or somewhere else. He was broken out of his sullen mood when a hand landed on his head and ruffled his hair, instantly causing him to look up at the owner of the hand only to see the whole Uchiha clan head family.

Suki was on Itachi's shoulders and sticking her tongue out at him while Itachi smiled kindly at him since he saw Naruto as a brother and vice versa. Mikoto Uchiha was to the side giving an eye-closed smile with Fugaku having his normal blank look on his face just with a tad less grumpiness, showing he was in a good mood. Naruto gained a megawatt smile upon seeing the Uchiha family. "Good morning Naruto-kun." spoke the clan heir in his usual soft voice and Naruto couldn't help but return the greeting.

"Naru-baka-" whatever else Suki was about to say was cut off by an abrupt finger poking to the forehead by Itachi. She hissed in irritation and pain as she rubbed the spot. "Why'd you do that!" she whined, a cute scowl on her face. Itachi shook his head and reached behind him before picking the girl up by her armpits and placing her on the ground in front of Naruto.

"You shouldn't call Naruto-kun an idiot when he has done nothing to deserve such a name." he chided the girl who shrunk slightly under her brother's chastising. "Apologize," he ordered her and she instantly turned defiant and rounded on her brother but he simply poked her in the forehead again.

She grumbled while rubbing her forehead again, a red spot forming from the constant rubbing, and turned her attention to Naruto. He was wearing a sleeveless burnt orange hoodie with a dark blue t-shirt underneath and his signature visor on his face. He had dark green cargo shorts on with a pair of blue shinobi sandals on his feet. She rolled her eyes when she saw the orange visor on his face, she didn't know why he still wore those stupid goggles, it had been a weak gift.

 _Flashback_

 _Suki was walking through the market area of the Uchiha compound with a slight frown on her face. Today was Naruto's fifth birthday and she had to think of a gift to get him in ten minutes and she was coming up with nothing that he deserved. For her fifth birthday, he had gotten her a wooden training bokken inside an elegant box with the Uchiha fan on it. She had been training with it since then and she wanted to get him something he would like and be able to use just as well as she can use the gift he gave her._

 _She passed by a store when she suddenly stopped dead right next to it before turning and looking at something in the window. She didn't know why, but for some reason, it screamed Naruto and so without a second thought she used the money her mom gave her and bought it before darting back to her house to get it wrapped._

 _The Uchiha's were the last ones to the party due to them having to wait because her father got slightly delayed due to a random case they had to run by him in the district._

 _When they did arrive at the Namikaze compound her mother went and hung out with Naruto's mother and her father went to talk business with the Hokage while her brother went to go talk to a silver-haired man. She decided to go find Naruto, her gift wrapped in her hands. She found him out back surrounded by the other clan children, Ino Yamanaka, Chouji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Hinata Hyuuga. She looked over at all the unwrapped gifts and saw all these expensive gifts like training weights and kunai sets and she looked down at her gift._

 _A small tear slipped out as she thought about it, he got her an amazing gift and she was supposed to be his best friend. She walked away and to the direction of the stairs to hide from everyone so they didn't see her cry._

 _Naruto had been listening to a story by Kiba on how his mom's companion dog lost its eye when out of the corner of his eye he saw Suki walking away, almost running. A frown came over his face and after a quick excuse, dashed off after her completely abandoning the others. He came to the patio door where he had first seen her and the direction he saw her going was the stairs so he decided his best shot at finding her was to head up the stairs._

 _He walked down the hallway of the second floor in wonder, trying to figure out where Suki would go at a moment like this. That was when he heard a sniffle. He stopped dead and strained his ears and there he heard it again, coming from the direction of his room. He walked to his room and found the door open slightly so he gently nudged it open and saw her on his bed, face in his pillows as she cried. Naruto was at a loss for what to do because he had never had to deal with a woman or girl who cried so he proceeded carefully._

 _He walked over to her before sitting on the bed next to her, noticing her freeze when he did so. "Ne Suki-chan, why're you crying?" he asked the raven-haired girl who stayed laying face down to avoid him seeing her tears. He noticed she wasn't going to answer him so he laid down next to her and poked her before repeating the question. She huffed before covering herself with his blankets. Naruto didn't understand why she was acting like this so he decided to find out and went under the blanket with her._

 _She still had her face in the pillows and he couldn't stop a frown from coming over his face as he thought of what to do. His eyes lit up in mischief before he decided to try and be nice. "Please tell me why you're crying," he whined but she shook her head to the best of her ability with her face still firmly planted on the pillows. Naruto let a predatory smirk come over his features as he reached down to her stomach and started tickling her with no remorse._

 _Itachi had once told him she was very ticklish and Naruto hadn't used it until now and now he was upset he hadn't used this before, her reaction to being ticklish was quite possibly the funniest thing he had ever seen_ _._

 _She yelped before reaching down and trying to stop his hands but failed since she was too busy laughing and soon both children were laughing up a storm. In her struggle to get him to stop tickling her, both accidentally fell off the side of the bed in a tangle of limbs, sheets, and pillows. Naruto leaned his back against the bed as he got the blanket off his head to the point where his upper body was sticking out yet his legs were still under the covers._

 _Suki did the same as him a moment later and both sat there, panting from their little game. They both sat there for what seemed like forever before Naruto caught something out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but let his childish curiosity overtake him and he grabbed it, much to Suki's horror. The wrapping was a bunch of fishcakes over a light blue background, instantly making Naruto pout. "It's maelstrom." he moaned as he tore into the gift while Suki was doing her best to look away._

 _Inside was a slim black box with the Uchiha fan on the front in red and white. He gently took off the top part of the lid and saw his reflection staring back at him from the orange-tinted glass. He softly took the orange visor like goggles from the box and looked at them. They were amazing in his opinion and he would definitely be wearing them for the foreseeable future and just to prove it he put them on covering his eyes in an orange tint. "It's great Suki-chan, dattebayo!" he exclaimed happily as he saw everything around him in his favorite color._

 _Suki still kept her gaze away from his, he might say he liked it but the other gifts were still much better than hers. "Why didn't you want me to see 'em?" he questioned the Uchiha girl next to him and that seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back as she started sobbing about how she was a bad friend and how he deserved a better gift for the one he gave her. He wrapped his arm around the hysterical girl's shoulders as he simply smiled softly. "Their gifts were good and so was yours. But it's not the gift, it's 'cuz it came from you." he whispered, instantly stopping the girl's sadness and tears._

 _"Besides, you look great in orange." he murmured and she couldn't stop the giggle that came out at his silly joke. She laid her head on his shoulder as he leaned his head on hers. "I'm tired Suki-chan." she would've rolled her eyes if she had the energy, she was tired too._

 _"Than go to sleep baka," she mumbled and both children were soon fast asleep, both having a content smile on their faces._

 _A few hours later everyone was about to bring out the cake for the birthday boy when they realized there was no birthday boy to be found. Everyone looked all around the compound while Itachi went up the stairs to the boy's room since he figured it would make sense for someone to be in their room. He was proven correct with a twist when he opened the door only to find his little sister and Naruto both laying against each other while sitting against the bed and the blanket covering their legs. The part that truly made him smile was when he saw the goggles and the smiles on their faces._

 _He activated his Sharingan to burn the image into his head before deactivating it. He stayed there simply watching them sleep when he saw his mother, father, Kushina, and Minato appears behind him in the hallway. Kushina then pushed in front of the group as she took out a camera. "They're cute together," whispered Kushina and everyone nodded in agreement to her statement. Kushina suddenly squealed and looked over at Mikoto, "Imagine blonde-haired Uchiha babies!" she delved into mother mode as she thought of all the possible children and everyone else couldn't help but shake their heads at how much she read into it._

 _Flashback end_

That was one of her happiest memories, not that she would reveal that to anyone. "Oi! Suki-chan ya there?" asked the visor-wearing boy as he waved his hand back and forth in front of her face.

She scowled at the boy in front of her and she would have slapped the hand away if she didn't have to apologize. "Sorry about calling you a baka, you ba-" a finger poke to the forehead "Ugh, sorry about calling you a baka Naru." she pouted as she rubbed her forehead.

Naruto let a natural foxy grin come over his face as he dashed to the side of Suki and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and sweeping his other arm in a dramatic posture to the Academy. "A whole new world out there Suki-chan, and it's our job to beat it!" by now his eyes were shining with confidence and Suki couldn't help but be swept up in it and believe him. She didn't show this though and simply rolled her eyes, forgetting to remove the arm from her shoulders.

"Hey Itachi-niisan?" asked the young Namikaze heir.

"Hm?" the dark-haired boy replied dutifully.

"When'd you graduate the Academy?" at this question Suki looked up too, curious about her brother's prodigy-like skills.

"I graduated after four months in the Academy. Although I do not expect you to graduate that early Naruto-kun, neither of you." In an ideal world, Itachi would rather have both his sister and Naruto to grow up slowly not having to face the horrors of the shinobi world as young as him. They were not raised in a war, for that he is grateful but he doubted there would never be a war again and most likely in their lifetimes there would be another war but the question is what part would they play in such a war? He shook his head of the thoughts as he returned to the present and was about to say something before Naruto interrupted him in an explosion of childish confidence.

"Imma beat your score and graduate in three months Dattebayo!" he shouted and Fugaku scoffed in the back of the group while everyone else rolled their eyes.

"How about this Naruto-kun. If you graduate in three months I will have a good friend become your teacher on the side and he will gladly teach you everything he can, Deal?" he asked the boy, holding out his hand for the blonde to shake. Said blonde did gladly and without another word started walking away. "Where are you going Naruto-kun?" Questioned the dark-haired teen and without even turning Naruto answered.

"I gotta train hard!" and continued on his path.

"He's actually going to try and do it." Mikoto was in shock that Naruto was going to try and do such a thing and while she knew he was talented, she doubted he was that talented, Itachi wasn't even that talented and the boy had a bloodline to help him!

"Who would you get to train him?" asked Suki, now very curious why her brother would even say such a thing.

"I would have Shisui teach him. Shisui has been saying he needs someone to train and if Naruto can beat my time than Shisui could easily teach him since he has been dealing with me for years," he explained his reasoning and Suki nodded with a frown on her face. If Naruto really did finish that fast then he would be leaving her behind in the academy.

Itachi saw the look on her face and while he felt sympathetic to her, he didn't think Naruto could really get out of the academy that quick anyway so there was no reason to be sad. He walked behind her and quickly poked her in the back of the head making her lurch forward. "Go, don't be late on your first day," he told her and she gave a hurried nod and wave before darting off in the direction Naruto went.

"Class doesn't start for another twenty minutes." murmured Mikoto from behind Itachi and he didn't bother turning since he knew that already.

Suki found Naruto arguing with an Inuzuka and some other boys. She was going to come over when suddenly she saw Naruto punch the Inuzuka in the jaw making the brown-haired boy fall on his butt as the other three boys went to hit Naruto since he was smaller. Suki assumed the Inuzuka and others were a good three years older than them and she doubted Naruto could beat them all. She watched mesmerized as the bullies advanced on Naruto the blonde slipped in between one of the boy's legs before punching him in his private area.

The boy he hit collapsed as Naruto rolled away from the other two. They were, of course, bigger and stronger so Naruto had to dodge and use speed to his advantage. One swung at Naruto and he moved his head to the right to avoid the blow but forgot about the other bully and was hit in the stomach. There was suddenly a poof of smoke and instead of a blonde six-year-old, there was nothing there. The bullies didn't know what a Kage Bunshin was so they were stumped. The bullies looked around in confusion before one of the bullies got hit in the side of the head with a small stone, making him fall over in pain.

Naruto stood there panting slightly as he looked at the one bully on the ground and the one standing up. It took his mind a moment to register that there was three of them before he was suddenly grabbed from behind by the one he had punched. The boy had both of Naruto's arms trapped and the other bully was running at them, fist cocked back to hit Naruto in the face. They were not expecting the boy to fling his head back suddenly, hitting the boy holding him in the neck making him let go of Naruto to hold his neck.

Naruto ran at the boy running at him and ducked under the blow to kick him in the shin, causing him to fall in a tumble before getting up shakily. Naruto noticed how the blow to the shin had obviously hurt him and he used that to his advantage and ran at him as fast as possible which wasn't too fast considering his height and age. Naruto wasn't prepared for the Inuzuka to suddenly come out of nowhere and tackle Naruto making them roll as the bigger boy tried to get above him.

The Inuzuka was soon straddling Naruto and was punching him senselessly. After about the third punch Naruto replaced himself with the other bully which took a massive amount of stamina and chakra since replacing with a living being was very hard. Now Naruto was beaten up and tired but refused to give up. It took the Inuzuka a little while to realize he was punching the wrong person and by then the other bully was too injured to do anything.

One bully was knocked out by the rock to the side of the head, one had gone unconscious from asphyxiation, One had just been beaten up and now all that was left was the Inuzuka who had a small bruise on his jaw but other than that seemed okay. The Inuzuka rushed the smaller boy in a rage, his clan had short tempers so Naruto was somewhat expecting this and slid away as the boy tried to hit him but the bigger boy was fast so Naruto was constantly dodging so he didn't get hit.

The boy threw in a random leg sweep that caught Naruto off guard and made him fall, causing the Inuzuka to jump on him to keep him down. As the Inuzuka was swinging down on the boy to hit him, his arm was suddenly held back by Suki who was using all of her strength to try and hold him back. The Feral-looking boy snarled before launching his arm back, hitting the girl in the chest and making her fly back in pain. The next thing the Inuzuka knew was a blonde blur hitting him to the ground before barraging him with kicks punches and every kind of attack possible. He soon went unconscious from the pain of being hit so much.

Naruto growled before giving the bigger boy one last harsh kick in the ribs. He instantly dashed over to Suki and ended up sliding to her halfway there, his Uzumaki stamina was finding its limits. His face was bruised and his side was cut slightly and he was dog tired. He had a black eye but despite all of this he was still making sure Suki was okay. The girl herself was in a fair amount of pain for her but she powered through it and opened her eyes to see Naruto, bruised, bloody, and tired hovering above her. "You okay?" he asked her, despite his slightly cut lip he got the words out and Suki gave a shaky nod as she took in his features.

"Can you get my goggles?" asked the boy and she noticed they were a few feet away, they must have been lost somewhere in the fray. "You're more important right now," she spoke frantically as she swapped positions with him and hovered over him, curious about his condition. "Just go get the school nurse," he mumbled, eyes closing as he let darkness claim him. Apparently fighting four people bigger and stronger than you wasn't always the best plan.

Suki dashed off to go get the academy nurse but before she got ten feet the nurse was already there along with three other teachers. One teacher walked around and examined the other boys while the two other teachers looked at Naruto in wonder. The nurse was healing Naruto first before going to go heal the other kids. The nurse finished a few moments later and Suki was instantly right there, sitting next to him and waiting for him to wake up. "Go ahead and take him to his class Unai, he will be out for at least another hour or so." the nurse said, not taking her eyes off of the Inuzuka.

One of the men scanning Naruto suddenly walked up and picked the blonde up before walking off with him, Suki and the other teacher following.

Three hours later Naruto's eyes fluttered open as he took in his surroundings. His head was lying on something soft, there were walls and someone was talking. The memories hit like a blunt kunai and he instantly shot up into a sitting position, looking around frantically. There were dozens of kids in the class who were actually all looking at him now, including the teacher. A hand landed on his shoulder and he snapped his head around to look into the concerned dark orbs of Suki.

"We're in class and your dad was told about what happened," she answered all the questions in his head and he slowly nodded before laying back down in her lap. He didn't notice all of the other girls glaring at Suki or all of the guys glaring at him. The teacher resumed his teaching and most students returned their attention to him. Suki was ignoring it though and chose to instead run her hands through Naruto's blonde locks, they were unbelievably soft and very bendy. She and his mother had one time braided it and it looked awful but also hilarious.

Naruto's eyes watched the peaceful look on her face and he was glad she hadn't been hurt by those bullies. He didn't know if he would have stopped hitting that Inuzuka if she had been hurt badly, he absently wondered if he had broken any of their bones but disregarded the thought since he didn't care. Black locks fell in front of his face and he blew air out of his mouth only for them to return right in front of his face. He scowled as he blew it away again only for it to repeat it's actions. He absentmindedly continued to do that for the next twenty minutes and would have kept going if he wasn't stopped.

"Namikaze Naruto, what is the Shinobi village inside of Kaminari no Kuni?" asked the teacher, trying to get the blonde in trouble. "Kumogakure."(1) replied the blonde without even skipping a beat or lifting his head. The teacher cursed silently before returning to his chalkboard and lecturing the children on geography and how important it is to know where you are or where to go. "Wanna get outta here?" he asked the girl above him and she snorted in reply.

"They won't just let us leave." she murmured but Naruto simply grinned before grabbing her hand and dashing to the door. "We have to go to the bathroom!" he shouted over his shoulder as he and Suki got out to the hall. He made two Kage Bunshin and henged one into Suki and said girl gaped like a fish at his plan. Naruto was panting slightly from making two Kage Bunshin but other than that he was fine and both he and Suki walked away, going to go train in preparation for their next few months.

* * *

The three months had passed way too fast for Naruto's liking but he had the time he had been given and had not wasted a second of it. He had trained himself into the ground by weights to each limb. Every time he got used to them he would add another pound and currently they were ten's on his wrists, fifteen's on his legs and a twenty-five on his midsection. He had gotten weapon handling and throwing training from his father who literally used kunai as his weapon so now he had ten of his father's kunai strapped to each thigh. He didn't know the Hiraishin but these kunai were better due to not only the less weight but the unique shape made it easier to fight with thanks to the three blade tips.

He had basically isolated himself outside of the Academy in his families clan estate. His mother didn't like what he was doing because she was worried the boy was hurting himself but his father had convinced her to leave Naruto alone on the subject. Minato had been told by Fugaku why Naruto was doing it and he was honestly hoping the boy would do it, he could use it to hold over Fugaku's head as the better father. He had given his son the kunai after teaching him how to throw them.

His son was not yet on the same level as him with accuracy but he had years to practice and refine his skills similar to how he himself had done. He had even had an encouraging talk with his soon to further motivate him to do this and have an even stronger will.

 _Minato had walked to the back patio and saw Naruto practicing Katas for the Academy style. He was going to teach the boy the HummingBird later in his life but until then the boy would have to use the Academy style which while a good style was not nearly as strong as his own in terms of maneuverability nor strength. He had modeled it after the Hyuuga style with quick precise strikes and fast movements but it also contained normal fighting style elements such as kicks as opposed to the Gentle fist which was entirely made for hand-to-hand._

 _"Naru, come here for a sec," said the taller man as Naruto turned. The child inwardly cursed at not even being able to sense his own father who was twenty feet away but did not voice these things as he made his way over to his father, stopping his training. "This is a very admirable goal you have, beat a record and a prodigy. But are you sure you're up for it?" asked Minato as Naruto nodded with a big smile on his face._

 _"I like the confidence," commented the blonde as he put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You want a tip?" asked the man as his son looked up at him with a curious expression on his face. "Kage Bunshin transfers memories as you know." said the man as Naruto nodded slowly. "So, wouldn't that make it the ideal thing for training? You would be able to learn so many things so much faster. The only downside is that you can't use them for physical training, simply Ninjutsu and other things of that nature." The man had barely finished before Naruto had already made Fifty Kage Bunshin while barely batting an eye._

 _He truly envied the power the fox gave his son sometimes. That much chakra was insane, especially for a six-year-old. "Ja ne Naru!" he said as he walked back into the house, leaving a gaping Kushina at the door as she looked at the jutsu she could have been using to train with when young._

If the young Namikaze's training had been rough before, then that knowledge made it bordering on insanity. The boy would make dozens of kage bunshin every morning and have them do many separate things while he would do something physical such as running or punching a log, or push-ups and anything that would train his body. Because of this rigorous training, he had quite the metabolism and his mother and father had both refused him any ramen, making him eat nutritious things to keep his body in good condition for long days of training.

He was broken from his musings by Kushina's voice. "Sochi breakfast!" yelled Kushina as Naruto's eyes lit up in happiness at the prospect of food.

He was soon sitting at the table being greeted by a mixture of eggs and hashbrowns with sausage next to it on the plate. He greedily grabbed a fork, picking up the food and lifted it to his lips only for a hand to block the food's path. He sent an irritated glare to his father who didn't look up from the Konoha Daily paper he was reading. "You eat after the cook, you know the rules." the man said as he sent an irritated look of his own to Naruto who scowled but put his fork down.

His father and mother had only around five rules that he had to obey, he had to be in bed before eleven, no learning anything A-rank and above before being a gennin and even then they have to know of the technique, he couldn't wear a color of orange that wasn't burnt orange, not allowed to read Jiraiya's books, and you aren't allowed to eat before the person who cooked the food does. He sat there like the impatient child he was as he watched his mother wash her hands.

Today was the day he was going to take the exam and the day that would determine if he became a gennin and beat Itachi's record. He was both nervous and anxious for the exam. He knew he was a lot stronger than most his age and was very talented but he didn't know what the Exam was since no one would tell him so he had a feeling of doubt inside him that perhaps he had to survive in a spar against a Jonnin or something. He was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of forks clanking with plates and looked up to see both mother and father eating with smug grins on their faces as Naruto fumed.

He grumbled under his breath as he started gobbling down the food, ignoring the small chuckle both his mother and father shared in amusement of his misery. "So, do you feel ready to become a ninja Sochi-kun?" asked the red-headed woman across the table from him and before he could even answer his father did.

"Of course he does! He's a Namikaze and an Uzumaki, no way he's not ready!" shouted his father with exuberance, drawing an eye roll from Kushina and a snicker from Naruto.

"Yeah, I feel ready mom." the boy answered with a smile on his face and both parents returned the smile with their own as the family of three returned to eating. Breakfast soon passed and Naruto bound up with a yell as he made a dash for the door.

"Forgetting something?" asked a sickly sweet voice from the table he had just left and he turned robotically slow to see his mother with her hands on her hips, standing to the side of the table while Minato smiled as he put up the dishes. Naruto dashed back and gave his mother a firm hug which she returned happily. "Good luck." whispered the mother as Naruto smiled in her embrace. She really didn't want him to be graduating so soon but it was his choice and she would support it.

"I better receive a letter on my desk hearing that my son broke the record for earliest graduation," said Minato who had just finished putting on his cloak and patted Naruto on the head. Naruto removed himself from his mother's embrace and gave a quick smile and wave to both parents before dashing through the door. "See ya tonight," whispered Minato and gave Kushina a kiss on the cheek before disappearing in a yellow flash. Kushina smiled happily as she returned to doing housework and other things.

* * *

Naruto sat in his usual spot in the front with his head propped up on his fist as he listened to the usual morning greetings by the Academy instructor. Suki sat next to him and while she was bored too, she didn't show it as much and simply sat in her seat as she stared at the chalkboard in the front.

"... Now, any questions before I begin the lesson?" asked the instructor and Naruto sat up with a grin on his face, it was time. He raised his hand, and the instructor turned his head with a bewildered expression on his face. Naruto never really showed any interest in the class and usually either trained or it was a Kage Bunshin so these types of things never happened. "Yes, Naruto?" asked the instructor.

"I want to take the Academy Exam." said the boy and instantly children started muttering in the rows behind him and Suki stiffened next to him for reasons he didn't know. The instructor was surprised, to say the least.

"T-The Exam! Are you sure, you can only take it once every year and if you fail it won't be takeable for another year." warned the man as Naruto continued grinning like a fox.

"I don't plan on failing." said the young boy with confidence practically oozing out of him. The instructor gave a shaky nod and sat at his desk before going into a drawer and pulling out a piece of paper, scribbled furiously on it before finishing after a little while.

"Go to room J-12 and show this to the man in there." said the dark-haired chunnin instructor and Naruto stood with his grin even bigger than before.

"Wish me luck Suki-chan!" he exclaimed as he passed her and took the note from the instructor before bounding out the door, not noticing Suki be silent. She was currently biting her lip as she worried about him leaving her behind, not that she voiced these things. She secretly had the fear of being forgotten by him and she didn't want to be forgotten by him, she wanted to be his equal and do everything with him. She scowled as she realized she was going to need to train really hard to be useful to Naruto.

Naruto knocked on the door of J-12, hearing a voice allow him entry from the side and stepped through the door, note in hand. He was greeted with the sight of a normal-looking man sitting behind a desk, seemingly doing nothing but sitting there. "What are you here for, Namikaze-san?" asked the man at the desk, instantly making Naruto scowl before tucking it away. He hated it when someone addressed him by his last name, it meant they were being nice to him because of his father hopefully, that would change soon with this.

He walked up and handed the man the note his instructor had given him and after reading it over with the man's eyebrows rising and rising he turned up to the boy. "You sure?" asked the kid as he sized him up and down, no doubt not believing he could do it. Naruto nodded and the man sighed as he shook his head. "Well, to begin with, you'll take the written test." the man said as he handed Naruto a paper and a pencil. Naruto noticed how it had eighty questions making him groan internally.

He disliked sitting down and answering a series of questions about so many things because it was such a waste of time in his opinion. He sat down regardless and started the test, racking his brain for the answers as he did so. He turned in the test eighteen minutes later, causing the man to widen his eyes slightly. "That was fast," he muttered as he took the test before taking out an identical paper with all of the correct answers on it. The man compared them and would occasionally make a small mark with his pencil on Naruto's paper. He finished fairly soon and put the papers in a file which he tucked under his arm as the two stood.

"Now for your throwing accuracy test." the man said as they left the room and went outside to the training field for kunai and shuriken throwing. There were five stationary targets that had the same rough figure as a human torso. Each was farther than the previous one, the closest was ten feet away the second twenty the third thirty and so on. "You need to land at least five kunai and five shuriken on the closest, four on the second, three on the third, two on the fourth, and one on the fifth. You are not allowed past that white line," Naruto looked down and saw a white line a few inches from his foot. "You got it?" asked the man as Naruto turned to him.

"Can I use these instead?" asked the boy as he held up his father's signature kunai. The man was initially surprised at the special kunai but got over it fairly quickly.

"Sure, it's a kunai." said the man as he shrugged, causing the boy to nod. Naruto walked to the line and reached down to the box of shuriken in front of him. He picked out five and fitted them into his hands before lobbing them at the target with decent aim which showed itself as the shurikens landed, five in the red circle at the center. Naruto then reached down and fit three kunai in his right and two and his left before throwing them, three landing in the red circle of the head and two in the red body circle.

He then repeated the process for the next three and got perfect's on them. On the last one, however, he only got three of his shuriken in the red circle while the other two landed in the blue surrounding circle. Naruto shrugged as he didn't plan on using Shuriken in his ninja career so he did not care about how he slightly messed that up he still passed after all.

He turned to see the man, he still hadn't learned his name, scribbling again on a paper in the file before nodding and the two progressed to the field to the side which was a training area with just white chalk lining the outside to show boundaries. "Now, for the sparring session, you will have to last for the duration of at least two minutes or better. You are not allowed to use any Ninjutsu, Genjustu, or any kind of Kekkai Genkai nor weapons in this Taijutsu spar." the man said as he put his file on the ground next to the chalk and stepped into the area.

He held up his index and middle finger in the mutual sign of respect as Naruto copied him. "Begin!" exclaimed the man as he pounced on Naruto while holding back to the level he believed Naruto would be. Naruto did not hate many things, but there were a few that he did hate. Such as people sucking up to him to gain leeway with his father, not caring about him and only his surname, and underestimating him. He narrowed his eyes as he dodged the painfully slow kick and snapped out his own high kick, impacting with the chunnin's chest making him skid back a small amount in shock.

It had hurt a fair amount since it had made his lungs constrict painfully but he shook it off and realized his young opponent was not to be underestimated as he settled into a defensive stance making Naruto smirk at his opponent being serious. Naruto attacked first this time and dashed for his opponent's legs, trying to sweep them out from under him.

This man was not a chunnin for no reason though and stepped back, avoiding the leg sweep and struck out with his own leg trying to get Naruto while vulnerable. Naruto saw the kick coming but could not get away in time and was forced to try and block it and caught the foot with both hands before tugging on the leg causing the man to lurch forward, losing his balance as he did so just like Naruto wanted as he struck out with a fist to the midsection on the chunnin.

The chunnin coughed up some mucus he had in his mouth from the pain of the blow and had to quickly act to keep Naruto from completely beating him and caught the fist the boy sent at him before responding in his own, hitting the boy in the chin causing him to fall back from the strength of the blow by the bigger and stronger chunnin. Naruto grinned as someone fighting him for real as opposed to his father or mother who had to go easy on him.

He bounced back from the blow and now both fighters stood across from each other staring at the other with begrudging respect and soon the older man ran forward at high speeds before being in front of Naruto, swinging a fist for his face. Naruto swerved to the right to dodge the blow and while diving out of the way lashed out with a kick that hit the chunnin in the side of the ribs causing him to grunt in pain. Before Naruto could fully process it the chunnin was delivering an ax kick above him and Naruto didn't even know how he got above him that quickly but nonetheless formed his arms in a cross-block to at least lighten the pain of the blow slightly.

It still hurt badly though and Naruto's bones shook from the strength behind the kick and with a hiss of pain Naruto retracted from the situation and panted as he tried to think of a plan. He was not allowed this time though as the chunnin was yet again attacking Naruto with a leg sweep which Naruto hopped over bringing his arms down and swing both on his opponents head, trying to end the fight by knocking him unconscious. The man tried to avoid it and roll backward but barely dodged his head and got hit in the chest from the fists causing him to let out a weeze as he rolled away.

Now both stood across from each other tired and panting as they analyzed the other fighter. The older man soon attacked first and swung a fist for Naruto's head which he blocked but that was what the chunnin wanted since it was a faint and Naruto's other side was wide open. Naruto's eyes widened at falling for such a cheap trick as he was hit in the ribs with a hard punch making him grunt in pain due to the blow but his eyes showed with determination and worked through the pain before leaning forward and crashing his forehead against the man's nose hearing a satisfying crunch as he did so.

The man staggered back holding his nose which bled and soon removed his hands and held up a hand to keep Naruto from continuing. "Enough, the fight is over you passed with flying colors." it sounded a bit weird due to the man's voice sounding so nasally from the headbutt to the nostrils closing. Naruto nodded before falling on his back, dead tired as he panted in the air while laying on the dry dirt. The man left and Naruto simply lay there gulping in the air for a little while.

He smiled despite his exhaustion as he thought he did rather well on his test. He felt confident about the writing test and knew he did very well on the accuracy test and was fairly sure no one their age could push the instructor that much. Regardless of these facts, there was a small amount of lingering fear inside him.

He must have laid there longer than he thought because the man returned with tissue in his nose, a bandage over the cut he gave the man his file in hand. "Sorry about your nose Instructor-san." he apologized to the man who simply waved it off.

"No problem kid, you did good, really good. For the writing test, you got seventy-seven out of eighty which was definitely passing. For the accuracy, you got forty-eight out of fifty, again very good and definitely passing. For the spar, you lasted seven minutes and almost beat me, definitely passing. So, out of two hundred potential credits you got One-hundred-ninety-five, an almost perfect score. Congratulations Naruto Namikaze, you are now a gennin of Konoha." the man said with a smile as Naruto's eyes gleamed.

In the Hokage office, Minato was signing off on an export for a special kind of food the Inuzuka needed to be imported from Fang Country for their companions when he heard it. "WHOOOOOOOO!" he heard the happy whoop of his son from the Academy training field causing him to softly smile in pride as he knew what his son had achieved. He snorted softly before returning to the paper, shaking his head at the strength of his son so young.

In the Academy itself, Suki was sitting bored in Naruto's old seat as she watched the instructor explain stuff she already knew when she heard it. "WHOOOOOOOO!" shouted the blonde boy she had a crush on and she looked out the window and saw Naruto sitting in the dirt with his arms in the air while one clutched a headband.

"What is it Suki?" asked the instructor as she smiled.

"Naru passed," she said and most gasped before flying to the windows to see what she saw. A pit of ice formed in her gut though as she realized he was going to be moving on without her.

Itachi stood in the tree inside the Academy Training Field next to Shisui and both had watched everything Naruto had done. "That is your student Shisui," said Itachi as Shisui dumbly nodded, surprised someone could possess the ability to pass the Academy so young.

"I'm lookin' forward to it," said Shisui as he donned a smirk similar to the one Naruto wore a few minutes ago.

* * *

Naruto sat at his families dinner table with a big group of people who had heard the news and had come. Minato had sent a message to Jiraiya but the man was out of the village at the moment so even if he got it it would be a while before he could get to Konoha. There was still a substantial amount of people there to celebrate Naruto being the youngest to graduate from the Academy. Fugaku's family was there, Shisui was talking with Itachi to the side as both cast glances to Naruto constantly.

Mikoto was talking with Kushina as the two did something in the kitchen that Naruto was apparently not allowed to know about. His father and Fugaku were having a macho contest by comparing whose son is better. Naruto himself was in the backyard, with his feet on the first of the three steps while his body was laying down on the patio itself with Suki next to him in a similar position. Naruto was content and thought Suki was too but he was wrong since on the inside she was a hurricane of emotions.

"So, you're a gennin now," stated Suki as she stared up at the blue sky. Naruto was oblivious to her true feelings and thought she was just making conversation and kept his eyes closed as he grinned.

"Yeah, I beat Itachi-niisan and now I gotta do the other things he did better!" he said as he raised a hand to the sky. "I gotta show I'm strong too, not just use my dad's fame for stuff!" he exclaimed as he closed his fist on the sun.

 **(1) Naruto knows all about the history, geography, and all things related to that after Kushina teaching him in Geography and history to show Uzushio history as well as make him more knowledgeable for future.**


	2. Training

Suki flipped her hair off her sweaty forehead while also clearing up her vision in the meantime as she glared at Itachi. The man was currently serving as her target for shuriken, kunai, and anything she can try to hit him with as well. She had come to him, practically livid that morning and demanded he teaches her and since he was actually on a week-long leave he had obliged and was currently simply evading the strikes and swings and thrown projectiles the girl sent at him.

He refused to teach her any jutsu since she hadn't even finished the Fireball Jutsu, leading to her not having her Uchiha crest on the back of her clothing or any other place. The girl was very vicious today and while he knew why it didn't change the fact he thought it was rather childish and foolish. But nonetheless, he had always called his little sister childish and foolish for a reason, besides she was still a child. She threw a rather lazy punch at him that even a standard gennin would have caught, it was so bad he couldn't help but give her a light jab to the side to remind her she was in a fight.

"So what's the plan imouto, train hard, graduate early, gain Naruto-Kun's affection?" he taunted the girl, knowing about her crush on the blonde despite her not ever telling him. It was rather obvious she had a crush on him, the way she acted with him, the way she was more vulnerable than anything with him, she even pulled her punches in their spars. Clearly, the fact he had graduated without her had made her frustrated and the fact her plan was what Itachi had said, was proved by a scowl and blush which made the former looked rather pathetic and more of a childish pout than anything.

"No! Besides, why would I feel that way about him anyway?" she retorted as she went for a kick to his head, which due to her short stature, and his great reflexes, failed and she turned it into a heel spin which she followed up with an attempted jab to Itachi's body which he simply pushed away with a palm to the forearm, sending the strike way off course and unbalancing her. Itachi frowned mentally at his sister's fighting capability, she had been taught the Uchiha interceptor style and while that was a good style for their Clan Bloodline, she does not have said Bloodline, therefore, making her fighting style rather open and weak.

"Perhaps it is because he is popular, good-looking, nice, rich, second last of his clan, there are a great many reasons imouto, which one do you use?" he asked as he tilted his head back from a rather vicious haymaker, perhaps anger would make her fight better? "Maybe you are not the first to realize these things?" he questioned the girl who gave a rather curious look but didn't stop attacking nonetheless. "I'm sure there are other females that find him attractive and would-" he was cut off by a kick to the gut he had to block, seemed she was getting better.

Not that it was a strong or good attack, he could have easily counter-attacked her with her leg so extended but he would rather not hurt his little sister. She growled at him before unsheathing the katana on her back, making Itachi frown rather briefly before tucking it away behind a smile. "Rather protective of him aren't you?" he was forced to slide to the side to avoid a downwards slash which she quickly followed up with a swipe to the side, another thing Itachi deftly dodged.

"I," she swung again with a horizontal downwards slash from the right,

"Don't!" Another but from the left,

"Have!" Again from the right,

"Feelings!" Again from the left,

"For!" Another from the right,

"NARU!" she shouted as she changed it up a bit and cleaved straight down, attempting to cut the teen in half which she would have succeeded with if not for the hasty block with a spare kunai Itachi had on-hand. Suki panted heavily as she leaned against their clashing blades before Itachi sheathed his kunai, taking the sword out of her hands before being there to catch her as she fell forward in exhaustion.

He returned the sword to the sheath on her back as he carried her piggyback to the house, a smirk on his face as he did so.

Elsewhere on the Uchiha grounds, Shisui was having a training exercise with Naruto, which was going interestingly. Naruto was trying to use Kage Bunshin and kunai to overwhelm the Genjutsu user, which would work if not for Shisui's ability to use the Shunshin to perfection, easily making him able to dodge the pronged kunai. "STAND STILL!" the boy shouted as he created ten more Kage Bunshin that fanned out to try and capture the boy.

Shisui couldn't help but let out a light-hearted chuckle at the frustrated Namikaze heir as he used Shunshin yet again to dodge another hail of kunai, it was a smart strategy and would be a very powerful one if the boy ever learned the Hiraishin, but until that time it was rather weak against Shisui at the moment. He didn't want to use any Genjutsu on the boy yet, he was still rather young and Shisui doubted he could break through them, even if simple.

Due to the Kyuubi, he was sure the boy's chakra control was horrendous, therefore leading him to a lack of ability to truly break from the fine art that was Genjutsu. When he learned to channel the fox's chakra, he would be able to easily break from those types of things with the second chakra signature to overwhelm the Genjustu but until then the boy was in a bit of a pickle. So, Shisui was sticking to dodging and throwing a few kunai every now and then at the boy.

He appeared right next to the boy and lightly cut his shoulder only for Naruto to blow up in some smoke, Shisui blinked. His Sharingan had told him it was Naruto, it had confirmed the chakra signature and everything. He had to leap out of the way as a hail of pronged kunai impacted with the tree branch he'd just been standing on. He'd chosen the dense forest area for their training to try and get the boy used to fighting in trees.

"How're you doing that?" asked a Naruto as a group of them approached the Uchiha teen and pooled around the base of the tree Shisui was standing on the side of. The teen blinked and looked at himself, he wasn't doing anything too peculiar. "How're you standing on the side of a tree?" asked one clone and Shisui resisted the urge to slap himself in the face, THE Yondaime Hokage's son didn't know the Tree Climbing exercise.

"Dispel your clones Naruto, we are going to be doing something a bit different." the boy said as he hopped from his perch, running a hand through his shaggy black locks as he deactivated his Sharingan. He knew Naruto was strong, similar to Itachi but the boy was strong in a whole other way, while Itachi was finesse, grace, and agility, Naruto was the polar opposite, using numbers to overwhelm his enemy, strength, and close-quarters fighting.

That was a perfectly fine way to fight, but it meant Shisui was not dealing with another Itachi, he was dealing with a strong boy who'd been raised by the Red Hot Habanero which made a lot of sense about Naruto's character when he thought about it...

Naruto landed on the grass in a crouch before approaching the Uchiha, scratching his cheek as he did so. "Ne, Shisui-sensei how'd you do that?" asked the boy and Shisui exhaled through his nose.

"Well, at least now we know what we're going to be practicing today!" the boy exclaimed as he clapped his hands. He pointed to the tree side as the boy looked at it confused. "What I was doing was chakra manipulation, AKA chakra control which made my feet stick to the side of the tree and kept me upright," the boy still seemed lost and Shisui held up a finger before walking over and walking up the side of the tree a few feet before looking at Naruto.

"I'm sending my chakra to the soles of my feet to make me stick to the side of the tree." the boy explained as Naruto's eyes lit up and he dashed for the other tree. "WAIT!" Shisui shouted a second too late as Naruto's first foot impacted with the tree before literally blowing a hole through the center of the bark and sending the boy rocketing back into the bushes. Shisui sighed loudly before dashing over to the brush and finding Naruto just laying on his back rubbing the back of his head as he slowly sat up.

"By the way, too much will make you blow back," the teen added sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head as Naruto shot him a glare that could make Glaciers melt. Shisui rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled sheepishly, similar to how Naruto did so himself as the two made their way out of the brush. "It is a chakra CONTROL exercise for a reason Naruto, you have to try and control your chakra. If you use too much, you will do what you just did, and too little will make you flop like a fish got it?" asked the boy as Naruto grumbled while walking to a new tree.

"Coulda said that first..." mumbled Naruto as a small pebble impacted with the back of his head, making him yelp in pain as he hurried his walking to a nearby tree, not able to use the previous one due to it looking like it was about to fall over. He got to a tall pine tree and breathed deeply before placing a tentative foot on the tree, watching as it cracked under his foot. Naruto frowned slightly before moving his foot and doing it as lightly as possible and the bark didn't crack making the blonde grin in triumph as he tried to run up the tree,

And promptly fell a second later. He growled in frustration as he tried doing it again, this time with a stream of chakra pushing into his feet as he did so and got up a few steps without the bark cracking or blowing up. "Here," Shisui said as he threw Naruto a kunai he caught. "Slash a line in the bark right before you fall, that way you can track your progress." the teen said as he turned around and shunshin'd away, leaving Naruto alone as he tried to climb the tree with his chakra.

Shisui appeared next to a certain white-haired hermit who was watching Naruto from the foliage a little ways away. "Why hide up here Jiraiya-sama?" asked Shisui as the two watched Naruto attempt to scale the tree, this time getting eight steps before falling back.

"Meh, didn't want the gaki to lose focus on training. Besides, I'm used to hiding in the shadows, feels more natural than being down there. I saw the boy for his birthday not too long ago and back then he was just some blonde gaki, now he's a gennin..." the man never finished his sentence as he seemed to lose himself in thought as the two watched the blonde attempt to scale the tree. "Minato tells me you've been wanting someone to teach, why do you feel that a Genjutsus expert can teach a brawler?"

That was a good question.

Shisui himself didn't really think too much about it when he took on Naruto, but a Genjutsu expert like Shisui really shouldn't be teaching a boy like Naruto who liked to be up close and personal. "Well, I don't think I am doing too terrible. He's able to learn certain arts like chakra control from me. I know I won't be the only one teaching him, I'm sure Kushina-sama will teach him in Kenjutsu or perhaps try and see if he has the ability to use her Chakra Chains.

"I also know you will most likely be giving him the Toad Contract, like his father and you will probably also teach him a few things along the line. I know Itachi is itching to teach him the Daibakufa, only Hokage-sama has ordered him not too under a decree of Naruto being much too dangerous with that jutsu, something everyone had agreed to. Also, due to me having Jonnin status I can officially be his sensei while here and enter him in the Chunnin Exams and have him take C-rank missions along with other things.

"I'm sure Yondaime-sama will also most likely try and teach Naruto the Rasengan along with the Hiraishin if the way Naruto used those kunai is any sign I guess Yondaime-sama is already working on the latter." says the black-haired boy with a smirk. "I can also teach him things like how to break out of a Genjutsu or maybe even Shunshin." the boy finished with a shrug and Jiraiya nodded in acceptance of the answer, the boy truly was very smart for his age.

"Well-" Jiraiya was cut off by the sound of ripping bark as they looked over and saw Naruto scaling the tree on all-fours, at rapid Jonnin-level speeds at that. Naruto then stood perched on a branch on all fours, similar to a canine or a fox as the boy simply stayed on all fours on the branch. Both men let out a small shudder of fear at the creepy similarity to a fox the boy showed at that moment. "T-That's one way to do that." the white-haired Sannin muttered as he shook his head free of the jitters in his spine.

"Now go back, commend him for the thinking, and make him do it like a human. I have to admit though, that is a very fast way to cover ground, it leaves him defenseless but it covers a good amount of ground with that kind of speed," muttered Jiraiya as Shisui went to do as he was told while the Sannin went to Minato to register him being back and tell him what he saw.

* * *

Three hours had passed of Naruto attempting to get all the way up the tree with only his feet, a feat he hadn't quite achieved. He was now able to get twenty steps up the tree but the top of the tree itself was a good ten more steps so he would need a bit more practice before he would fully 'master' tree-walking. Currently, he was sitting in his backyard, staring at a leaf in his palm in serious thought. Suddenly two hands landed on his shoulders as Kushina peered over his right her usual smile in place as her amethyst eyes shined.

"And what are you doing staring at a leaf?" she asked as she stayed crouched behind her son who shrugged before setting down the leaf.

"Could I learn Elemental training?" asked the boy and Kushina blinked as she frowned down at him.

"You're a little young for things like that," she mumbled skeptically as Naruto pouted.

"Kaka-nii says when you become a Ninja you're an adult in the eyes of the village." the boy muttered sourly as Kushina laid a kiss to his temple.

"Not in your mother's eyes, you'll always be my Sochi," she mumbled as she stood all the way and stretched before looking down at the smiling Naruto and smiled again, glad her son was happy. "C'mon, let's go practice your calligraphy," she said as the boy rolled his eyes, his mother really wanted him to learn seals. The two then headed into the house before heading into Minato's office and Kushina sat Naruto down in the chair behind the desk and put some chakra conductive paper on the desk as he reached to the side and got a brush along with ink bowl.

He then started writing out Kanji, the practice would make him better so he just continued to write Kanji with the flow of the brush until they would become perfect. His head wasn't in the seals but on a project, he had thought up that morning. It wasn't even really a complete thought, but if he could engineer it and meddle with it, he could make it into a severe and devastating weapon. The idea was to get a Wind User and have them channel their chakra into a medium which would refine and harness the wind chakra before launching it out of a small tube to give it speed and direction.

It sounded like a good enough idea but the problem was that he was neither a blacksmith nor a Wind User, hence why he wanted to discover his element. "Kaa-chan, when I finish my calligraphy training can we please find out my Elemental Nature?" he even threw on the Puppy-Dog eyes and Kushina's will wilted away as she nodded and Naruto gained a megawatt smile.

"After training, which you still have another half hour of," she ordered as she pointed back to the paper. She really didn't know why she was so curious and adamant about his chakra nature but it wouldn't be the end of the world if he started doing things like that, Itachi was sure to have learned these types of things at his age. She knew there was some of the slips inside of Minato's desk, no point in going anywhere to get them so they just had to wait until Naruto finished before proceeding with the Elemental Discovery.

The thirty minutes passed and now Naruto sat in his chair with his almost perfect page of calligraphy lines in front of him. Kushina reached into the drawer next to him and pulled out a scrunched up small square piece of paper. "Here is the paper. If it burns that means you have a fire affinity, if it becomes damp that means you have a water affinity like me, if it crumbles into dust that means you have an earth affinity, and if it is sliced in two that means you have a wind affinity like your father." the woman finished as she handed the paper to Naruto who looked at it confusedly.

"Oops, Channel your chakra into it," she explained as he nodded and held it between his index finger and thumb before channeling chakra in between the two into the paper. His mother had said if it is sliced into two that means you have a wind affinity, so what does Naruto have? These were the thoughts going through his head as he looked at the eyelash thin strands of paper fall to the floor, it looked like someone had taken a knife and sliced the paper into a thousand pieces, leaving a confused Naruto with a shocked numb Kushina.

"Did I mess up?" asked the boy as he stared at the small strand in between his fingers. Kushina just silently handed him another paper which further proceeded to do the exact same thing to that paper. Kushina couldn't believe her eyes, no one's wind affinity was that strong. Minato's own only cut the paper into three pieces so for Naruto to cut it into almost invisible pieces of paper was practically impossible.

"Let's go see your father," she said and put a hand on Naruto's head as the two shunshin'd to Minato's office. Kushina actually seemed a little woozy from the teleportation herself but composed herself quickly as she and Naruto went into Minato's office nodding to the attendant along the way. They entered to come to the sight of Minato and two copies of himself sitting behind the desk as they did paperwork. All three looked up at the two in confusion since they had clearly not expected them to be there at that time.

" **Hi Kushi-chan, what are you guys doing here?** " spoke all three as Kushina rubbed her forehead in annoyance. The one in the middle scratched the back of his head and dispelled the two clones, his eyes glazing over to process the memories for a few moments before going back to normal. "So, what are you guys doing here? Did you tell him yet?" asked the blonde man and he seemed possibly ecstatic at the end, causing Naruto to tilt his head in confusion.

"Tell me what?" the boy asked as Kushina waved him off.

"Ignore that Naruto. Minato do you have chakra nature papers?" she asked hurriedly, wanting to quickly change the subject before Naruto could become too curious as to what Minato meant. Minato frowned slightly before reaching into a drawer to the side of his desk and fishing around for around ten seconds before finally procuring one which Kushina grabbed out of his hands. "Watch closely," she said and handed the paper to Naruto who did what he did before and the paper was torn into hundreds of tiny shreds that you would miss if the light angled wrong.

Minato was wide-eyed as he stared at the shreds of paper slowly falling to the floor. "I-Is that what I think it is?" the blonde man stuttered as he walked around his desk and crouched next to the small slips of paper on the carpet.

The woman nodded in confirmation. "I triple-checked it, he really does have that high level of a wind affinity," she muttered as the two parents suddenly smiled while Naruto himself was in the blue this whole time, confused as ever.

"What do you mean? I have a Wind affinity?" asked the boy in confusion as he quirked his mouth to the side. His father put his hands on his son's shoulders, a broad smile on the mans face as he did so.

"You have quite possibly the strongest Wind Affinity ever Naruto!" the man suddenly laughed like a child as he shot up into the air. "This is awesome, my son is super strong and my wife is pregnant!" he shouted as he shoved a fist to the sky in happiness as Kushina rolled her eyes at him letting slip the surprise. Naruto blinked a few times as he stared at his mother.

"What is pregnant?" asked the innocent boy as both parents stopped in place as they realized they had never given their son the talk even though he is a Ninja... Minato chuckled awkwardly as he made a few more clones to handle the remaining paperwork as he and Kushina and Naruto disappeared in a flash of yellow to give Naruto the talk.

* * *

Naruto still had a light blush on his face as he walked to the Uchiha compound. He now knew a great many things about human physiology and certain human interactions. The only good part of that talk was he learned he was going to have a little sibling soon, a very good thing indeed. He was going to the Uchiha Compound, intent on telling the Uchiha Clan Head family of the news something Kushina had asked him to do right before she had gone to the toilet to throw up.

He had barely entered the gates of the Compound before Shisui landed next to him, hand ruffling his hair causing the blonde to groan as he shook off the teen's hand. "So what is my student doing here this late hmm?" enquired the Uchiha as Naruto blinked and looked up. It had become night and the darkness that was kept away by lanterns became glaringly obvious to him. He let out an exclamation as he turned to the Uchiha, catching him off guard slightly.

"Turns I have like a super strong Wind Affinity. Like, Tou-san said strongest ever!" exclaimed the boy and Shisui's eyebrows raised in shock and skepticism. He doubted Naruto could have such a strong and rare affinity, especially ever since it was very unlikely. Shisui nodded regardless as Naruto deflated slightly. "You're supposed to be happy." the boy mumbled as he pouted and Shisui snorted.

"Okay, one sec," he said as he turned around before turning back around quickly. He threw his hands on his cheeks as he gaped and gasped and did all of these crazy antics. "Oh my god Naruto, You're soooooo strong! I bet you'll be stealing the attention of all the girls now!" he shouted in exuberance and Naruto couldn't keep his cheeks from flaming as a certain image Kushina had shown him came to mind. "And why are you so rosy hm?" asked the teen as he came very close to Naruto's face and inspected it.

Naruto backpedaled rapidly as he covered his cheeks with his hands and shook his head. The teen didn't seem to want to let it go though and continued repeating the question before Naruto put up a hand to stop the teen. "M-My parents gave me the T-Talk," he mumbled, clearly very embarrassed which was only proven even more when Shisui stared at him blankly. Soon the teen erupted into laughs as he stood in the street, laughing like a psycho as tears started springing to his eyes.

"And what is the cause of your humor this time Shisui?" asked Itachi as he came out of his house which the two were now right in front of. Shisui just pointed at Naruto, not able to stop laughing and Itachi raised an eyebrow and looked at Naruto in questioning. "And what about Naruto-kun is so humorous?" asked the long-haired teen as Naruto's head dipped.

"My parents gave me the talk Aniki," muttered the blonde as Itachi blinked before letting out a few chuckles of his own, in his own reserved way not like Shisui but he found it humorous regardless. Shisui finally got himself under control as he exhaled deeply and smiled at Itachi.

"Naruto also happens to be a Wind user, and according to Hokage-sama the best ever." said the spiky-haired teen as Itachi raised an eyebrow at the proclamation, amusement was forgotten as his attention went to the new subject.

"That is quite the development, is this true Naruto-kun?" asked the Uchiha prodigy as Naruto excitedly nods. Itachi nodded slowly and when the conversation didn't proceed any further he returned to Naruto. "Is there anything else Naruto-kun?" asked Itachi as Naruto gave another hurried nod.

"I'm gonna be like you!" the boy shouted in exuberance as Itachi and Shisui both raised an eyebrow. "I'm gonna be an Aniki!" he shouted as both Shisui and Itachi's eyes widened in shock.

"Kushina-sama is pregnant?" asked Itachi in shock as Naruto nodded quickly. "I'm sure Kaa-san would love to know, come in." said the teen as both Shisui and Naruto entered the house with Shisui and Itachi behind Naruto as the three entered the house. Just as Shisui slid the door shut behind them Suki walked in front of them her features changing upon seeing Naruto there and blinked.

"Hey Naru," she said and didn't get a result instantly because Naruto's mind was going back to what his father and mother had told him from the talk and Suki fit into many categories there, causing him to blush rather badly drawing a raised eyebrow from Suki and a wicked grin from Shisui.

The teen nudged Itachi's shoulder and gestured to Naruto making a sharp movement with his hand as Itachi's eyes shined with mirth and the two nodded. Shisui counted from three with his fingers before both suddenly pushed him into Suki, knocking the two over into a pile of limbs as Shisui snickered while Itachi smiled. The two were less embarrassed then they were angered and the two jumped up, yelling at the two Uchiha teens while they did so.

Mikoto came in after hearing the racket and came to the sight of Itachi and Shisui getting yelled at by Suki and Naruto as the two children wagged their fists dangerously. "What are you yelling at them for Suki, Naruto?" asked the soft voice of Mikoto as the two turned around to see her standing there with an amused expression on her face if the blushes of the two were anything to go by then it was clear to find out why they were blushing.

"Why are you here, Naruto-kun?" asked Mikoto, not giving the two time to respond to her previous statement since she was pretty sure she had the answer herself.

"Oh, Kaa-chan is pregnant!" he exclaimed happily as Mikoto blinked in surprise at Kushina getting pregnant again, for some reason it seemed out of the realm of possibility for Kushina to have more than one child to Mikoto. Her skepticism soon turned to joy as a bright smile filled her face and she clapped in happiness.

"Kushi-chan is pregnant, this is too good!" she exclaimed as she dived back into the kitchen and then came back out without her apron. "You guys can eat out, I'm going to talk to Kushi-chan!" the woman exclaimed one moment and she was gone the next. All four shared a collective blink before Naruto darted out the door shouting ramen and the three remaining Uchiha sighed as they followed him, Suki following while Shisui and Itachi schemed.

The three Uchiha arrived at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop a little while later, finding Naruto already there eating a bowl of Pork Ramen. The three sat down in stools, Suki next to Naruto with Shisui on his other side and Itachi next to Shisui. Naruto tried to say a greeting to Suki with a mouth full of ramen but Suki curled her nose in disgust as she shoved his face away, keeping the slobbery noodles away from her. It didn't seem to phase Naruto too much as he simply continued eating.

"Hi, Shisui-san!" said a lightly blushing Ayame as she then took the order of Suki while Itachi rolled his eyes at Shisui's matching blush to Ayame's. It would seem romance was everywhere these days...

Itachi watched as Naruto continued to shovel down noodle after noodle of the ramen, he would admit it was very good food. But to eat that much of it was surely a skill and gift that only two Uzumaki possessed, Suki was slowly eating her own bowl of ramen while his friend was chatting with the Ramen waitress herself as she handed him his ramen. He ate his own at a moderate pace as he watched not only Naruto and Suki interact but also Shisui and Ayame interact.

He was just about to put some more ramen into his mouth before it was abruptly stolen by a brunette that leaned over his shoulder and ate it straight from his chopsticks. "What is it with you and teasing me with food Izumi-chan?" he asked tiredly as his chair was spun around to reveal the brunette Uchiha herself giving him a confused look with ramen dangling from her lips. He rolled his eyes as he leaned forward and took the ramen from her lips, giving her a kiss as he did so.

"Look at who's being forward today?" she teased with a smirk on her lips as Itachi himself rolled his eyes at his girlfriend's antics. He soon saw a golden opportunity he couldn't resist and leaned into her ear and filled her in on the plan, making her smile sweetly. "Look at you, meddling with other's lives." she teased as she started slowly walking off and Itachi's eyes barely kept from going to her rear as he leaned back in his stool and whispered to Shisui the plan as well.

The dark-haired boy nodded before leaning forward and whispering the plan to Ayame who nodded and smiled at him one last time before the two Uchiha were off to join Itachi's girlfriend on their merry way, leaving Suki and Naruto alone as Ayame went into the back of the shop.

Suki noticed the lack of people before Naruto and her brow furrowed, wondering where the three had gone. Naruto himself was still slurping away ramen, continuing until he realized there was no one to get him more. "Ne, Suki-chan where'd everyone go?" he asked in confusion as the girl shrugged herself before hopping off the stool with a stretch. Naruto did the same as he paid for the meals before walking with Suki down the dimly lit streets.

"So, you think I'm gonna be a good Older brother?" asked the boy shyly as he scratched his cheek in nervousness, he knew that Itachi was an amazing older brother but he didn't know if he could be a good older brother to his little sibling.

The girl shrugged carelessly as they continued walking in the direction of her home. "I like it when Itachi-niisan hangs out with me and trains me. Maybe try doing stuff like that?" she asked as the two walked down the street, Naruto nodding slowly as he absorbed the tips of what to do. "Don't do that stupid head poke thing though!" she pouted as she rubbed the spot in phantom pain and Naruto snickered, he would definitely be doing that to his little sibling.

"I wonder if it'll be a boy or a girl... A boy would be cool, could teach it stuff, a girl would be nice she would be nice to me," the boy trailed off as he did the pros and cons of having a brother or sister. The black-haired girl next to him gave one final shrug as the two came to the Uchiha district.

"Just don't be a baka, Bakanaru." she teased as Naruto scowled at her and she grinned in triumph. Her grin went away a moment later when he grinned as well.

"Sure thing, Academy student." he teased with a mocking head shake as Suki's cheeks flamed in embarrassment and she punched him in the shoulder, ignoring his laughs despite the punch. "Night Suki-chan," he said with a hand wave as he went along his way home, acknowledging the girl's grunt response as she did the same. Despite the excitement of becoming an older brother, his mind wouldn't leave that project he had thought up earlier if he could get someone to make the medium it would be a great weapon for him.

So, with these thoughts in mind, he went to the Hirugashi weapons store the store his father went to to get his kunai mass produced. This place would probably be capable of building his strange request, hopefully. He came just in time it would seem since the man who owned the shop was turning off the lights, causing Naruto to dash over just in time, stopping the man from leaving. "Oh! Your Minato's son aren't ya?" asked the massive man as Naruto hurriedly nodded. "Spit it out kid." said the man as the young boy nodded.

"I came to place an order." the young boy said as the massive man sighed. He shook his head and headed back into the store, turning on the lights and waving in Naruto as he did so. The man sat behind his checkout table and took out a graph pad as he nodded to Naruto who tilted his head in confusion.

"Explain it," the man said as Naruto made an 'O' with his mouth before starting.

"It's a long tube, about a foot and a half long with a um," Naruto started snapping his fingers as she tried to think of the correct words to describe the image in his head. "It's like a twisty thing..." the boy said as he extended his fingers and shook it rapidly.

"A screw?" asked the man as Naruto made a humming noise.

"Not exactly. Kinda like that but the end of the tube barrel thing has the screw like thing on it so I can put it in the hole, and screw it into it by twisting." the boy described with numerous hand motions as the man drew it and showed it to Naruto. "Yeah! That!" the boy shouted as the man nodded and looked back at his drawing, it looked pretty simple no need for excitement.

"I can have it done in a day." the man said and Naruto shook his head.

"I need it in chakra conductive metal that can harness chakra and like keep it contained," Naruto said as he put his palms together as if putting something together. The man raised an eyebrow in surprise as he wrote down the words in his paper below the barrel.

"Make that three days, it'll take me some time to meld and weld together the chakra conductive metal, that it?" asked the man and Naruto shrugged.

"There's more but I wanna do it in pieces, that way if one part messes up the whole thing isn't messed up. So I'll probably have another thing for you to make when I come and get the tube thing." the boy finished as the man gave a slow nod accompanied with a yawn.

"Well, I'll just take it from your old man's account." the man said in reference to the cost as Naruto's eyes widened in horror, he'd forgotten about the cost. He wanted the thing he was building to be a surprise and that meant neither of his parents knowing, they would surely find out if it was taken out of his father's account.

"No! Can I hand you the money when I get the piece?" asked the boy as the man narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "I want this to be a surprise for my dad, I can get you the money but don't tell my dad or mom, please?" asked the boy as the man shrugged.

"Meh, you're a ninja now you can do your own things. See you in three days Naruto," the man said as he put away his graph pad and the two exited the shop.

"Thank you Mr. Hirugashi-san!" said the boy as he dashed off, not noticing the man mumble about crazy Namikazes under his breath as he went home to his daughter who despite being older than Naruto was still in the Academy. He knows he wouldn't want his daughter out in the real world this soon, no matter how skilled she may seem.

* * *

The three days had passed in a cacophony of training, sleeping, and hanging out with the Uchiha's. Now, the boy was heading to the Hirugashi store, this time in the daylight as opposed to the nightlight that had previously occupied him on his previous visit. He made it to the store fairly quickly and walked into the shop that currently had no one in it luckily enough and upon seeing the young Naruto Mr. Hirugashi went into the back of the shop to the forge room where he had left the barrel.

Naruto came to the counter just as the man returned with a clothed barrel in hand. He set it down on the counter as Naruto unwrapped the blue cloth, revealing the dark black barrel he had ordered made to perfection. On one end it had the small indented lines to screw the pipe into a hole with lines similar to the ones on the barrel. "It's perfect!" exclaimed the boy in happiness as he put his hand in his kunai pouch and fished out a wad of Ryo that was bound together by a rubber band.

"How much?" asked the boy as the tall man scratched his neck, looking down at the barrel.

"It's rather easy to make, the only big cost was the metal used. I'll say eight-hundred Ryo." the man said and Naruto internally sighed in relief at the cost. He had taken this money from the Uzumaki account here in Konoha, something that had been forgotten by his mother now that she shared accounts with his father. He had a large sum of money but did not wish to spend it all on this project weapon of his. He took eight of the hundred dollar Ryo bills and paid the man, taking the barrel and putting it in his hoodie.

"Ya know, you probably need some Shinobi clothes, not those civilian ones. I got a big selection here if you want." the man said as he put the money in the register sitting back as Naruto stared down at his clothes with a contemplative frown. He really liked the color but he did need some clothes that could take the harsh conditions Shinobi would go through. Naruto gave the man a grateful nod as he went into the clothing department of the store and started looking around.

The man at the cashier just took out an Icha Icha book and started reading to pass the time, it was his shop who could judge him? It seemed he got more into the book then he thought he would as an hour passed and Naruto came to the cashier with a bag that he set down on the counter loudly, making the man jump slightly. "I can get that signed for you if you want." the boy said as he waited for the man to ring up his clothes he had brought, a new change from what he was wearing now.

"Nah, I'm not a die-hard fan like Kakashi-san," the man said as Naruto shrugged, waiting for him to finish the order of clothes. "sixty-three Ryo." the man said as Naruto just handed him another hundred which he broke up and handed Naruto the change. "Now, what is the next piece of this order?" asked the man as he took out his graph pad and stared at Naruto, ready for the next order.

"Okay, I want a handle grip thing, kinda like a handle for a sword but it's tilted a bit." the boy said as the man drew said handle and showed it to Naruto. "Eh, scratch that it needs to be different." the boy said as the man sighed and flipped the page, ripping that one out as he did so. Naruto reached into his jacket and took out the barrel, holding it out with his left hand and extending it a certain way as he put his right hand around thin air and looked down at his shoulder.

"Can you make it like reaching back to my shoulder? Like put the handle where my right hand is but there's like a grip or something that comes back to my shoulder for balance that's attached to the back of the handle?" asked the boy as the man frowned in thought before slowly nodding and sketching out what he thinks Naruto means.

He showed it to the boy who tilted his head a bit and put his finger on the paper. "Can you like make it a bit thicker here, and angle the handle a bit more?" asked the boy as the man erased and did as asked. "Perfect! Now can you add some more wood here, extending from the handle about as long as the barrel itself and flat on the top but smooth on the bottom for a good grip?" asked the boy as the man scratched his nose and got to drawing the stock.

He showed it to Naruto who grinned in happiness. "Now, can you put the same kind of screw thing the pipe had but the other way around so it's a hole instead of jutting out and can you put it on top so the last piece can just go in easily?" asked the boy as the man nodded almost instantly. "The last thing is can you make it out of like a chakra reinforced wood? It looks cool and that way it won't break." the boy finished as the man blinked chuckled as he wrote down the note.

"You sure know a lot about making weapons." said the man as Naruto shrugged.

"I asked my dad a lot about it when I wanted to know how his kunai got made, that's why I'm here 'cuz I know you make good stuff." the boy said as the man seemed to straighten his back in pride of his abilities with smithing and crafting.

"Thanks, kid, this'll be ready tomorrow since I already have a bucket of the chakra lamination to strengthen the wood." the man said as Naruto grinned, now he needed to start training his wind element so he would be able to use this weapon.

"Thank you Hirugashi-san!" said the boy as he reached down and grabbed his bag of clothes, intent on going home and throwing them on before practicing training with his Wind Element.

"It's Leo," the man said as Naruto seemed to be confused for a little while but soon realized what was being said and nodded in understanding.

"Then thank you, Leo-san." said the boy as he left the shop, heading for his home eager to get started in his training.

* * *

Naruto put on the final attachment of his clothing and smiled at what little of himself he could see in the mirror. Now he wore a forest green with small bits of grey mesh in it to make you believe it is just foliage, long sleeve tactical shirt with four pockets in the front and one on his forearm. The best part of this jacket was that it was very baggy and free, making movement a lot easier than one would think you would in something like this. He wore long green pants with the same bits of mesh mixed around on it to give him more stealth in forestry.

He wore mid-shin length tactical boots that were a charcoal grey, he had decided that the boots would protect his feet better from the harsh floor of certain areas. He had even gotten a green face mast similar to Kakashi's and now also wore a grey beanie on top of his head, obscuring his golden locks from view. The only downside to Naruto's stealth outfit was if the enemy was a sensor, which shouldn't be too big of a problem due to there being close to no sensors left in the world, maybe there were seals to hide him and his chakra from view?

He shook the thoughts as he dashed into his house's backyard, not having been seen yet as he dashed up onto a tree and picked up a leaf, staring at it in his hands. Now he just had to concentrate his chakra into the leaf to keep it stuck to him while also keeping his feet planted on the tree below him for extra chakra control. That would have been the plan if the leaf didn't suddenly rip slightly, bringing Naruto's undivided attention to it.

He did the same chakra thing again and the leaf gained a small tear. He grinned as he accidentally figured out how to practice his wind element. He then focused on the leaf, as if he was trying to cut it and the leaf then gained dozens of cuts all around the edges. Naruto grinned like a cat that caught the canary as he continued trying to do that until he could cut the leaf all the way to the center. He did so but the problem was that it took him a good four tries to get all the way to the center, he needed to do it in one.

He kept at his exercise for a good six hours but was only able to cut it in two tries. He reached for another leaf but almost fell over from exhaustion, he really hadn't been paying attention because the time was now night and he felt like he was going to fall over. He hadn't ever been so focused on something before and he shook his head in surprise as he slid down the tree, too tired to jump or walk down it. He then went to his room turned off the light and promptly fell asleep.

Naruto woke up that morning, not even under his blanket fully dressed in his new clothes and instantly groaned in annoyance of the light hitting him in the eye his mask was still on his face along with his beanie so he simply dragged the material on his head over his eyes, shielding them from the light making him groan in relief as he let his head sink back into the pillow. "Look at my student's new clothing Itachi, looking like he is going to be hiding in a forest or somethin'." a very familiar voice said as Naruto groaned again for a different reason.

He lifted the beanie off of his face slightly to peer up at the two teenagers who stood at the foot of his bed before letting go of the beanie and letting it cover his eyes again. "The energetic Naruto Namikaze tired, we must be in an Alternate Universe Itachi!" | ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) | cried the boy's sensei dramatically. Itachi rolled his eyes at his friend's antics and continued frowning down at Naruto who refused to move from the bed.

"And why are you so tired Naruto-kun?" asked the Uchiha heir as Naruto sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he ran a hand through his shaggy blonde hair.

"I was up late last night, training my Wind Element." the boy said as he scratched the back of his head before standing, looking at the two surprised teens.

"And? How'd you do?" asked Shisui who was curious about Naruto's advancement in the art as the boy frowned thoughtfully.

"I think I can cut a leaf in two strikes? I'm still trying to get it down to one though. I got my chakra control up last night, was on a tree for like eight hours." the boy told his sensei who crossed his arms in defiance.

"You trying to forget your sensei hmm? Trying to do everything on your own? Who told you about the Wind training technique?" asked the teen as Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion at Shisui's words. He didn't know it was a technique, he had simply done it on accident.

"I didn't know it was a technique. No one taught me it, I accidentally did it to a leaf last night and then I did it again and figured out how to do it." the boy said with a careless shrug, and while Shisui's eyes went wide in astonishment Itachi's narrowed in concern.

"You need to be careful Naruto-kun, Wind training is very dangerous and could possibly cut off your arm if you got careless." What Naruto was doing was very dangerous, it is a Jonnin-level art of a reason. Naruto grimaced at the mental image of losing an arm, that would ruin his plans quite a bit.

"Sorry Aniki, I'll be more careful from now on." said the boy as Itachi nodded in acceptance of the answer as Shisui pulled a leaf out of nowhere.

"Do it! I wanna see if you're telling the truth." the boy's sensei accused as Naruto gave one final yawn before grabbing the leaf between three fingers and channeling his Wind Chakra into it. What happened next neither of the boy thought was possible as they watched the leaf get cut in twenty-two different places as the cuts became jagged and shot out like lightning to the center of the leaf but did not quite reach, instead they stopped a few millimeters short.

"See? I can't do it yet." the boy muttered distastefully. Shisui picked up the leaf gingerly from the boy's hand as he stared at all of the cuts and nicks the leaf got. When most tried this exercise they got one jagged cut down the middle and worked their way from there, multiple cuts were almost impossible due to that being more strainful on their wind element. If Naruto's wind element was truly as strong as Minato said then the fact that the leaf had a lot of cuts showed how due to his strong element it took for him the effort that it took for most to do one cut that it would take him to do over twenty.

"Naruto-kun try doing one singular cut not twenty," Itachi said as he also procured a leaf from nowhere, handing it to the blonde who stared at Itachi curiously.

"Where do you guys keep getting leaves?" the boy muttered as he did as told and the leaf cleanly cut in two within moments. "Hey! I did it! Why didn't it work with the other one..." the boy trailed off as he stared at the leaf in Shisui's hand.

"Because that is your raw Wind Element power," Itachi said as he pointed to the leaf in Shisui's hand. "What you did to the leaf you have now was focusing the wind strength into one focused cut." the boy still didn't look convinced so Itachi thought up an analogy. "Okay, so you know how someone wielding a club will hurt you really bad, but someone wielding a sword can make one clean cut and use its sharpness to land one finishing blow?" asked the teen as Naruto nodded in confirmation.

"Well, this leaf is the club or in other words your raw strength of the wind element," he said as he gestured to the leaf Shisui held. "And the one in your hand is the Sword, sharper and more refined giving you a better amount of damage in one swing, understand?" asked the teen as Naruto nodded rapidly. "You can use the massive amount of strength in your raw element for some explosive jutsu, such as the Daitoppa that would give you better damage than the refined amount of you controlling it more." the teen finished but Naruto's mind ran a mile a minute as he thought that over.

It seemed he would have to use the refined amount for the weapon he was making, but for jutsu, he could use his Wind element in its raw form to deal more damage and get an even more effective result from his jutsu. "Well, your mother sent us to get you so let's go get some breakfast," said Shisui as Naruto nodded and the three made for Naruto's door.

"I understand Shisui-sensei being here but why are you here Nii-san?" asked the boy as Itachi blinked in confusion before realizing the boy probably doesn't know.

"My mother stayed the night so I was sent to make sure she got home sometime this year and doesn't stay here the entire time your mother is pregnant," Itachi responded and Naruto nodded in understanding, his mother and Itachi's mother had a weird connection. They made it down the stairs and no one said anything about his clothing, his mother didn't say anything but she did raise an eyebrow. Mikoto was too busy cooking to focus on Naruto.

The four were eating at the table since Minato had already gone to work and it was somewhat peaceful until two people decided to make their presence known. "What the hell is the Gaki wearing?" asked a perverted and joyful voice. Everyone turned to see Tsunade elbowing Jiraiya in the gut as she walked into the living room. She frowned down at the beanie before taking it off, ruffling his hair, and setting it atop his head but not putting it on his head.

"He wants to dress weird let him, not like you can exactly talk Jiraiya." muttered the blonde woman as she sat down across from Naruto, her eyes gleaming as she looked at all the food. She started grabbing some for herself as Jiraiya sat down next to her, seemingly fine despite the super-powered elbow to the gut. Naruto shook his head at the weird antics of his godparents as he ate his food, seemed he was the only one though as Shisui and Itachi gave small bows to the two Sannin.

"I can see your eating for two people properly Kushina." said the sole remaining Senju as she watched Kushina fork down food like there was no tomorrow. Kushina scowled at the woman, a sad attempt due to her cheeks being puffed out with the food inside them. Naruto chuckled at that along with Jiraiya and Shisui, Itachi hiding his smile behind a spoon of food.

"You're a Med-nin, you know I need to be eating like this!" the red-haired woman whined childishly as she continued shoveling forkful upon forkful of food into her mouth. Tsunade laughed as she went back to her food and the group of people descended into meaningless chatter as everyone ate which soon Mikoto joined.

After a little while, Naruto excused himself and left the house, drawing curiosity from everyone there. "Shisui, go follow Naruto. He never leaves this early." said a suspicious Kushina as Shisui nodded and excused himself as well to go follow his student.

* * *

Naruto himself had taken off the beanie when he left and now his headband was in view of the world, showing he was indeed a Konoha shinobi despite his young age. He also knew the beanie made him seem a bit weird due to the Konoha heat which Naruto didn't really feel so now he was walking to the Hirugashi weapons shop in the clothing he'd bought the previous day with his facemask scrunched around his neck, having taken it off of his face.

He got to the familiar weapons shop and Leo smiled at him before going back into the shop to get the second piece of the weapon Naruto was building. Naruto was honestly very excited for the weapon to be finished, it would be quite the advantage over everyone else and their weapons because no one knows what his weapon is, or what it does. Leo came out of the back the same way as last time, the stock was in a cloth that Naruto would unwrap to see if it is what he does want.

Naruto unwrapped the package, revealing the shining wooden stock of the weapon he was going to make. Naruto grinned as it was almost exactly what he wanted, now he simply had to get the final piece of the weapon and put it on top of the stock and attach the barrel at the end and he will be good to go with his weapon, a weapon that will change fighting in the Elemental Nations...

 **That's a wrap, I was going to completely build the rifle but that can be put in the next chapter along with testing it out. I feel like I am going to always put my AN's down here for you guys that way you can just immediately start reading the fic and not listen to me say things.**

 **Demon Bro the 14th: I hope that was explained in the chapter, he is going to have multiple teachers not just Shisui.**

 **Deathstroke431999: As showed in this chapter, he didn't even know Tree-Climbing. He might have graduated and might get lucky in some regards but he is still far from perfect. His language and grammar skills are rather weak in case you didn't notice in the writing and he doesn't know an abundance of things. If you feel he is too perfect sorry.**

 **DragonPony022: He will make mistakes and will always do wrongs, this is also a romance fic so you have that to look for if not for the action. Also, you have to think of it from their perspective, Itachi was the best of the best, he brought honor to the Uchiha clan, he is basically the poster child for Konoha. He is their pride and joy and for Minato's son to do that, it would only be expected of the Yondaime Hokage's son to be amazing in all regards. I am going to give him flaws and defects but you have to see it from their point of view, Itachi is a good thing. Also, I'm sure the fact that Itachi was forced to kill his clan by Danzo to stop a war doesn't make him a nut case, the fact his father took him to an active battlefield when he was younger than this Naruto and showed him all of that blood and death turned Itachi into a pacifist always seeking the option with the least amount of blood resulting in him choosing to massacre his clan to save the village. Minato also never had a parent, he knows how to be a leader, a teacher, a Hokage, but he doesn't know how to be a parent. So it is only natural he shows off Naruto like that, thinking of him more as a student he was proud of then a son. Naruto might have some mental problems upon growing up but I won't reveal that in this review, you'll have to read and see. Also, Kushina has a backbone she simply doesn't know how to be a parent either.**

 **WindyCitySlayer1: Sasuke was called a prodigy in Canon. This was because he was hand fed everything by the council and everyone on a silver platter. Suki in my fic will be strong but not because she was handed everything. She will not be joining him any time soon and I thank you for the review.**

 **In case none of you have noticed, I have not said anything about the Kyuubi incident nor Naruto possessing the fox itself. Here is a poll for Naruto having the Kyuubi and Sarutobi died sealing it into him, or Kushina still having Kyuubi.**

 **Naruto has Kyuubi.**

 **Kushina has Kyuubi.**

 **It's that simple. I'll let the poll go until the sixteenth, giving you guys three days to get in your answers.**


	3. Finished Weapon

Naruto examined the second part of his weapon with a smile on his face as he looked it over. It was a beautiful golden brown color of wood while also maintaining a good length as well. He held it up against his shoulder and it fit like a glove and was rather comfortable due to the smoothness of the wood. The forestock of the weapon felt good in his hand, as well as giving a nice grip so it wouldn't slip away anytime soon. Although, there was the downside of the next and final part would have to sit on top, looking bulky and slightly mucking up his plans.

"Okay, that one will be six-hundred since it's only wood and the paint isn't too pricey." the man told Naruto the cost and the boy himself almost flinched, he'd forgotten about price. He took the money out of his back pouch and counted out six of the hundred dollar bills before giving them to Leo. "Now what's this next part?" asked the big man as he took out the recognizable graph pad, ready to draw the next seemingly random part that Naruto would ask for.

"Okay, can you make it like a cylinder but only a bit bigger than the barrel so it can fit at the end? Then... Then..." he didn't know how to describe the image in his head so he frowned in annoyance, maybe he could try drawing it? "Can I try drawing it for you? I can't think of the words to describe it." the boy finished sheepishly as Leo shrugged before handing the youth the graph pad and pen before Naruto quickly set to work. Naruto was at it for about another twenty seconds before finishing with a nod.

He put the pad on the counter, facing Leo. "See this part needs to have this bolt handle thingy so I can open it, and then this part here is the thing that screws into the wooden handle thing and then the tube thing goes in here at the end. And one last thing is can you try and like," Naruto took the stock out of the cloth and ran his finger over the flat end. "Make this hollow and like slid this part into this here?" asked the boy as he ran his finger in a long motion, circling a portion of the wooden top.

"So you want me to make this part, and then hollow out this top bit here so it can slide in easy. What about the screw idea?" asked the man as Naruto blinked, he'd forgotten about that. He looked between his drawing and the wooden stock. Luckily for all parties, Naruto's calligraphy had paid off and his drawing was very good, making this much easier for them.

"Maybe when you hollow this out, put like a simple hole right here with like a latch that way I can slide it in, put it in the hole and shut the latch on it? Then I can screw the tube thingy into this end and it will work just fine." The man stared at it for long while before tilting his head one way and then the other.

"So hollow this out here the perfect amount so this chamber thing will fit in there and have a latch in the very back so it can fit in easily and stay there. Then you want the screw markings on this end so the barrel can screw in easily." the man finished as Naruto nodded. The man ran a rough hand over his face as he sighed. "I can do it, it'll take a while but I can do it. Come back in a week and I can probably have it done." the man finished as Naruto's eyes slightly bulged at the duration it would take.

"O-Okay, do you need the barrel too?" asked the boy as the man nodded, taking the barrel Naruto took from his baggy shirt. "One last thing, can you make it with the chakra conductive metal again?" asked the blonde as the man groaned before nodding. Naruto flashed a megawatt smile as he walked to the door. "See ya soon Leo-san!" shouted the boy as he walked away from the shop, Shisui narrowing his eyebrows and eyes as he finished watching the proceedings.

Why was Naruto keeping secret about a weapon he was making? If his parents were to find out they would surely encourage him and help him. Instead, he is sneaking around and not telling anyone, maybe he should ask Naruto before coming to the boy's parents? Meh, he'll find out anyway why not ask him about it. He leaped down from the building, landing next to Naruto gracefully as he ruffled his blonde student's locks, noticing how he stiffened in shock and stopped moving.

"Hello my favorite student!" the blonde pouted at his words as he seemingly went back to normal as opposed to his shock earlier.

"I'm your only student..." the blonde stated sourly as he looked up at Shisui questioningly. "Why're you here Shisui-sensei?" asked the boy as Shisui tiled his head at his student. He bonked the boy lightly on the head, making the gennin rub the spot gingerly.

"Since when does a sensei need a reason to visit their favorite student?" his answer was a head shake and an eye roll. "So mean to your sensei, especially when he is trying to keep your little weapon thing a secret." the blonde stopped in place as his face froze in fear. "Oh, didn't think I knew about that did ya?" asked the teen as he smiled innocently as if he hadn't just said one of Naruto's deepest secrets. "So, wanna go somewhere private to discuss your little secret?" asked the teen as Naruto stared down stubbornly.

Shisui shrugged before grabbing Naruto's shoulder and shunshining them to an Uchiha training ground. He let go of the boy's shoulder, noticing how he seemed a little out of it but not too bad which was good for someone to get used to Shunshin. "Spill." the teen said as he crossed his arms over his chest, having a don't mess with me look on his face. Naruto sighed as he rubbed his neck, looking anywhere but his sensei.

"I dunno, I just thought maybe I could surprise everyone with something cool and awesome ya know? Tou-san's got his Hiraishin and Kaa-chan's got her Chakra Chains. You've got the Shunshin thing and I wanted my own thing, this weapon could be that thing and I didn't want to tell anyone 'cuz I wanted to do it on my own." the blonde pouted as he stared down at the ground, sadness on his face as he did so. Shisui quirked his mouth to one side as he looked at his student.

He knew where the boy was coming from, he'd been in Itachi's shadow for longer than he could remember which is sort of the reason he had decided to use the Shunshin to how well he can use it now, simply so he can have a name for himself, not that other Uchiha boy. Naruto's reasoning was also rather childish, he was the youngest person to ever graduate from the Academy in Konoha and would probably go on to achieve much greater things if how things were currently going were any indication.

Shisui let out a sigh as he ran his hand through his already unruly hair. "When's Hirugashi-san finishing it?" asked the teen as Naruto blinked in confusion, that was random.

"He said it should take a week." the boy answered the seemingly senseless question, making Shisui click his tongue and tooth together.

"Then, when that week is over you're going to tell your parents what you've been doing and what that thing does, yeah?" asked the teen as Naruto hurriedly nodded. Shisui smiled as he put his hand in Naruto's locks. "Don't do stupid stuff like this, Kushina-sama was worried about you." the teen finished as he removed his hand from Naruto's hair. "Well, I've gotta go give them a fake report of what you've been doing. Remember, a week." the teen finished as he shunshin'd away.

Naruto sighed, he didn't want to make his mom worried he just wanted to get a strong weapon, that way he could keep them safe. Now he could train for the next week and maybe be able to use the weapon properly by the time he got it. He would need to figure out the other Wind Element training exercises so he could practice his control over Wind. Itachi said he could lose his arm if he tried it alone, so he probably shouldn't practice alone.

His father had a Wind affinity, maybe he could ask him. With that thought in mind, he started walking to the Hokage tower, sour that he didn't know shunshin when his teacher was Shunshin Shisui.

* * *

Naruto now sat in training ground seven with a Kage Bunshin of his father, watching the chakra construct like a hawk. "Okay, so the first Wind exercise is-" he was cut off by Naruto picking up a leaf and cutting it in half cleanly before letting go of the two halves of the leaf. "When did you learn that?" asked the man as he stared at the two pieces of leaf, flying around in the wind.

"I accidentally learned it the other day and mastered it. I know it was super reckless and that I could lose an arm sorry!" he got the last part out quickly, remembering Itachi's scolding for doing the exercise alone. Minato just slowly nodded as he took in the knowledge. "What's the next one?" asked the boy as the clone held up a finger before reaching down and picking up a small rock, about the size of his thumb.

"The exercise is to cut this rock, in half." he then did so, leaving a cleanly cut rock in two halves in his hand. "The trick is to get a clean cut like mine, not a jagged crooked cut like most do." the man finished as Naruto nodded before looking around and finding a small rock as well. He put it in between his two palms and channeled his chakra into the middle of it, similar to how he started the leaf exercise. Dozens of small scratches and nicks appeared all over the rock, shaving off some of it.

"Well, keep at it until you get it. It took me a good three weeks to get this-" he was cut off by Naruto using his concentrated wind chakra and driving a deep cut into the rock, about a third of the width was now cut open. "W-Wow, good job! Like I said, keep at it. Learning this doesn't happen overnight I have-" the clone then dispelled, letting the two halves of rock fall to the floor as the cloud of smoke slowly dispersed. Naruto scowled down at the rock in his hands, even if he had gotten a decent cut into it, the cut was jagged and very misaligned.

Naruto tried again but didn't even get anywhere near as far as he got last time, leaving him slightly tired from trying to force so much chakra through his tenketsu as well as filtering his Wind chakra from his normal chakra.

Naruto kept at it for the next few hours, or more since it was now nighttime and it had been afternoon when he had begun. He was sweaty, tired, and his chakra reserves actually felt about half empty which was not an everyday occurrence. He needed dinner and a shower. He started his trek home as his thoughts overwhelmed him and his body move on auto-pilot to his home. Shisui now knew about his project weapon and while he wished he didn't, it didn't hurt his plans or anything.

The downside was he was being forced to tell his parents about his new thing, something he didn't want to do yet. No one knew about his father's Hiraishin until he slaughtered a thousand Iwa ninja, therefore ending the war due to its effectiveness. He knows his weapon didn't have the ability to kill a thousand people in one moment, but it was strong nonetheless and he wished he would be able to show it off in a fight, not like some childish weapon.

He huffed as he thought of someone potentially insulting his weapon, it had potential to be even stronger than his father's Hiraishin, the trick was if it would work like he hoped it would. If Shisui forced him to talk to his parents about the weapon before he could even test it out to see if it worked, it could potentially fail in front of them and that would be very embarrassing for him and he would probably end up killing his sensei if that happened.

He still needed to do an actual mission with his sensei now that he thought about it. He had been his sensei for at least a week now and they still hadn't done really anything other than some chakra control training and they had sparred a few times. Shisui had also been teaching him how to break out of genjutsu that way if he went up against a genjutsu user he would be able to at least dispel the lower ranked ones. Shisui had once told him there are some genjustu that cannot be dispelled without the Sharingan, he could only wonder how that would feel...

He didn't know if he could stand being in an illusion you couldn't escape from, what would it be like forever living in someone else's sick fantasy? He shook off the thoughts as he refocused and found himself in front of his home and stepped through the door, shutting it behind him as he did so. It as probably a little after dinner time, if his mother's look was anything to indicate by and the lack of his father meant the man was probably hiding from her wrath.

"Shisui told me where you've been," she said as she tapped her bicep, her arms crossed as she stared at the now suddenly pale blonde boy in front of her.

"H-He did?" asked the boy fearfully as his mother nodded slowly. She walked to him painfully slow before bopping him on the head rather hard, making the boy cower as he held his head in hands, hissing in pain as he did so as his mother shook her head above him.

"What were you thinking, practicing Wind training alone! You could have lost an arm or something." she scolded the boy as Naruto vowed to get revenge on Shisui for this betrayal. Naruto hung his head in front of the woman, regret covering his face as he did so.

"Sorry Kaa-chan," he muttered as the woman shook her head again in front of him.

"And I bet you didn't eat did ya?" the woman asked with a head tilt as her hand's moved to her hips, cocking her elbows out as if her arms were wings. Naruto shook his head slowly. "And you missed dinner, so now I either make you something to eat or you'll burn the house down!" the woman sighed as she went into the kitchen to make Naruto something that did not require too much effort while Naruto felt a bit guilty for worrying his mother so much.

There could be much worse things for a mother to be worried or angry about, things much worse than her son training too hard. There were plenty of things, he could break a leg, an arm, get stabbed, go unconscious...

He could be dead.

Naruto shook his head rapidly, where'd that come from? His dark thoughts were pushed away as the boy went into the kitchen and saw his mother frowning down at the pot the rice was boiling in. Naruto went behind the woman and hugged her, his short height making him bury his face in her red tresses. "Sorry for making you worry Kaa-chan, I'll try not to make you worry again," he mumbled and he could practically feel the woman relax.

He knew she had a bit of an internal debate when it came to him. It was either pride for his accomplishments as a shinobi and wanting to further continue the proud Uzumaki line, or she felt worried for him and didn't want him to be in a world of war and death. He was sure she would be the same with his little sibling and could only pray that they didn't have to deal with worrying mothers and fathers always looming over you like hawks.

He smiled when he felt his mothers hand in his hair which quickly retracted itself. "You are filthy! Go take a shower and quit rubbing your grime and nastiness all over me!" she scolded but there was a hint of humor in the voice. Naruto grinned as his prankster side reared its head and he quickly hugged his mother even tighter, letting his arms move up and down as he rubbed his hair in her dress to try and maximize the amount of grime she gained.

She gasped in scandalisation and soon growled in annoyance before two golden chains slipped from under the woman's dress and picked up Naruto before hoisting him into the air, suspending him and separating him from the woman. He chuckled awkwardly as the woman turned her fiery gaze on him, still somehow cooking despite the other tasks she was doing. "Bath. Now," she said through gritted teeth as the boy hurriedly nodded and the chains dropped him, allowing the boy to disappear a moment later into the hall and to the bathroom upstairs.

He came out of the restroom sometime later, a fresh pair of casual clothes on since he wasn't going to be doing anything special tonight. He saw his food at the bar in the kitchen and sat on a stool in front of it, about to dive in before he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. It was his mother's sword, in his mother's hand as she headed to her room. "Kaa-chan, I didn't know you did Kenjutsu." the boy muttered with a thoughtful expression as he thought about if he did know his mother was a Kenjutsu user.

"Your Kaa-chan is the best at Kenjutsu!" she suddenly exclaimed as she bound over, showing off her sword as she did so. Naruto blinked at the one-hundred and eighty-degree turn his mother's attitude just took, he sometimes wonders what his life would be like if he was more like her than his father. It would truly be a strange experience to bare more of a resemblance to his mother instead of his father, he'd probably be very excitable.

"Do you think you could teach me?" asked the young boy as Kushina seemed to come alive with happiness. She wanted to teach Naruto all types of Uzumaki things, one of the said specialties of the Uzumaki was their amazing Kenjutsu abilities. They were of course known better for their sealing capabilities but Kenjutsu was a fierce battle ability, especially if she was able to teach Naruto the Uzumaki style! She ran around the table and hugged Naruto tight, swinging back and forth as if the boy was a rag doll.

"Oooooh, we're gonna have so much fun! I can teach you in no time! Especially with those clones, you could learn so quickly!" the woman basically gushed as she released the boy, sword still in hand despite hugging Naruto. "We can get started tomorrow, this is going to be so fun teaching my own son!" the woman then darted up the stairs, Naruto hadn't even had the chance to say anything in protest before the woman was gone. He prayed his little sibling wasn't a mini-Kushina, that could overwhelm him.

* * *

Naruto was awoken by a shoving in his shoulder, making the boy smack his lips as his eyes fluttered open to see Kushina standing there in her ninja attire with her long hair done up in a ponytail to get it out of the way. "Get up Naru-chan, get something to eat and then we're training!" she exclaimed with excitement someone should not be able to possess that early in the morning. He yawned as he sat up, his mother bounding out of the room already as she practically hopped down to the kitchen.

He heard a chuckling coming from his door and looked up to see Minato himself standing there, leaning against the doorframe, his features showing his amusement with the situation. "You asked Kushi-chan for training didn't you?" asked the tall blonde man, getting a slow nod from Naruto making the man chuckle even more. "I asked her to help me with some seals once and she got so excited, I think it's the whole Uzumaki thing she's got goin' on. Good luck Naruto, don't die." the man finished jokingly as he disappeared in a yellow flash. Naruto frowned as he went into his bathroom, wondering if he had chosen the right thing to do; asking his mother for help.

Naruto stepped into the backyard/training ground area twenty minutes later, fresh and fed for the day. He made his way into the training field and got right up in front of Kushina, looking at her expectantly. "Okay, first things first; how many clones can you make Naru-chan?" she asked him, gaining a shrug from the boy, making her facefault slightly. "Then just make a ton okay?" she asked as the boy gave one crisp nod before putting his hands in the position and soon a little over a hundred shadow clones filled the clearing.

"Okay..." she then made ten shadow clones herself. "Ten Naru-chan clones go with one of my clones, that way you maximize your learning," she ordered as her ten went off with a hundred Naruto's and the massive backyard was soon full off Yellow-haired gennin and Red-haired women. Kushina clapped once as she stared at the eight Naruto's in front of her. "Okay, so while they are practicing the Kata's I am going to explain what they're learning to you guys," she said as the eight perked up slightly, curious as to what she was going to say.

"They are learning the Naruto style of the Uzumaki," she instantly saw the eyebrows start to raise from the eight in front of her and she shook her head in the negative. "It actually does mean Whirlpool this time, not fish cake. The main point of this style is based on being very fast, that way you can overwhelm your enemy with loads of strikes before they can respond, hence the word whirlpool. There is a lot of spinning, and rotating in this style, making your moves unpredictable and I found out that due to the sheer strangeness and speed of the style, even the Sharingan cannot fully track it."

She saw the eight grin, glad they finally had something to hold over the Uchiha. She then saw their eyes glaze over and she gathered that one of the clones must have dispelled. "You guys probably just got some memories on how to do it right?" she asked, confirming her beliefs when the eight nodded. "Okay, so what we're gonna do now is Naru-chan is going to dispell you seven." she waited for him to do so before continuing.

She pulled out a scroll and unrolled it before channeling some chakra into it, prompting a puff of smoke from the scroll as two wooden bokken came out. "You take one," she said as she picked up her own before sticking the scroll back in her vest. "Okay, now make an even number of clones," she ordered as fourteen clones puffed into existence in the clearing, bokken and all. "Now, you fourteen are going to spar, and Naru-chan is going to stay here and watch you fight."

This would gain him the memories of the katas and some experience in fighting with a sword due to the clones doing it for him. "As you know Naru-chan the clones don't transfer physical things so you are going to have to get used to the weight of a sword. So, you are going to swing at me and I am going to block," she said as she got into a defensive stance and Naruto furrowed his brow.

"Why don't we just spar?" asked the boy as Kushina grinned at Naruto in a sickeningly sweet way.

"You think you're strong enough to actually spar with me Naru-chan?" her voice was nice but Naruto knew a trap when he saw one. He also knew he stood no chance as it was when he had barely learned one, his eyes suddenly glazed over as more memories flooded his head. Make that two Kata of the style that had over one-hundred and fifty, he wasn't on his mother's level yet for sure. He held the sword with both hands, not really in a stance at all since he didn't really have one yet since the memories hadn't come from the clones.

"Come Naru-chan, use the strikes you learn from the clones," she said as Naruto and dove forward. He came just in front of her before suddenly spinning on his right heel, lashing out with a wide slash that Kushina parried, sending the strike away while also making Naruto stagger. He stood there for a few seconds before lashing out with a straight stab, aiming for Kushina's heart. Kushina side-stepped the slow stab and slapped the wooden blade with her own, making the sword move in that direction.

"Get a firm grip on the sword, imagine it's part of you. As long as your sword can be held correctly then you will never lose," she commented as the boy did another move he seemingly just learned. He struck for her shoulder before it was blocked, he then transitioned from the blocked blade and into a wide slash from the side pivoting on his heel to gain speed. It was for naught though, Kushina blocking it and stopping his attack just like his other attacks.

Naruto's eyes glazed over for a few moments again before he regained focus, slipping his sword around to the right and making a slash for Kushina's waist which she was forced to block yet again before Naruto pulled the wooden blade that was still clashing with Kushina's own and shoving it forward, intent on impaling her but the attack missed as Kushina sidestepped it, making Naruto lurch forward and become unbalanced. It was understandable that he was not very good at the moment, he had barely picked it ten minutes ago.

Naruto abruptly spun around, doing a one-hundred and eighty-degree spin as he did an overhead swing, intent on slicing Kushina's head in two if it were a real sword. Kushina side-stepped the blow and slapped Naruto in the side of the head with the flat end of the sword, making him almost fall over as he rubbed his ear in pain. "A real opponent will hit back Naru-chan." she chastised as the boy scowled at her in annoyance. He knew that in a real fight he would have just been killed and that his mother was teaching him a good lesson, it didn't make it any less annoying to be hit in the side of the head.

Naruto dashed forward with a straight jab, something Kushina again slapped to the side with ease. Naruto then followed it up with a small flip, bringing down a strike overhead that Kushina would have to block to stop. She blocked with one hand on her sword, despite Naruto's both hands on his own she was able to stop it with ease, showing the difference in skill between the two. Naruto was in a terrible position due to the height difference as well, making him have to hold his arms above his head to clash with Kushina's sword.

He pulled back from the clash and went for a wide diagonal swing to her neck, something she ducked under and away from. Naruto gained a memory of another move, and then another, another, and another. The boy staggered in place as he held a hand to his head, the influx of memories and the way to grip his sword made him slightly woozy as his hand naturally slipped the sword into a bit more of a comfortable grip. Naruto exhaled as his mind categorized all of the memories and he got it under control.

Naruto then ran forward, raising his arm back to strike Kushina's left which she moved to block but it turned out to be a feint as he made for a center slash, something she dodged and slapped him on the back in retaliation for the sneaky move. "You're getting better, well you're learning moves that kinda make your moves a bit better but you're getting better anyway." she seemed to talk to herself for most of that sentence, only turning her attention to Naruto when she was done.

"Thanks for this, Kaa-chan," the boy panted out as the woman smiled at him kindly. He was truly tired, the mental strain of learning these things and the physical strain of the new feeling of the wood shaking and vibrating in his hands every time it struck against Kushina's sword, he was getting a bit worn out. He wouldn't quit just yet though, he could still go on with the spar. Naruto grunted as he actually took an offensive stance, this time his right foot was forward by a solid twelve inches, his elbows were straight and his sword was held from his waist and to a diagonal angle facing Kushina.

"See? You're learning by the second!" Kushina said enthusiastically as Naruto attacked yet again, going for a slash to her stomach that she blocked vertically before Naruto pulled his sword back from the clash, swinging again for her neck and then again for her leg. The neck slice she blocked but the leg slash she side-stepped away from as she herself actually struck Naruto in the gut slightly, something he tried to block but wasn't fast enough and simply made the wooden weapon hit him in the arm instead of the gut.

Naruto hissed in pain as he shook his arm, trying to make the pain go away which ended up being a futile effort as it still stung when he returned it to its place on the hilt of his training sword. He was close to Kushina already so he simply stepped forward, going for a jab to the chest which Kushina slapped upwards and away with her own sword. Naruto simply chose to bring the sword down on her from its position in the air, something she dodged by side-stepping away from it and striking Naruto's shoulder, watching his eyes squint and his teeth clench in annoyance and pain.

She let out a slight giggle, causing the boy to glare at her, further increasing her amusement. "Sorry Naru-chan, you just remind me of myself when I was learning. I would get so annoyed when my attacks didn't work, and my teacher would simply move around them like they were nothing, it really made me frustrated. I guess that's somethin' we share ne?" she asked softly as she stretched. "Let's go inside and relax, I'm tired of fighting while pregnant and you seem tuckered out. Besides, the clones will make sure you keep learnin' stuff anyway," she said nonchalantly as the two headed back into the house, one poking his bruise and the other smiling in humor.

* * *

Three days had passed since then, and now it was three more days until the weapon would be ready. Naruto was very bored though, waiting for his weapon to be finally made was making the days seem to crawl by in speed due to him actually wanting the time to pass quickly. He'd been learning Kenjutsu but today his mother was with Tsunade, getting a checkup on the baby and things of that nature that he did not fully understand.

Maybe he could do something about his wind element. He knew that his control on the element was good, and even now he had ten clones trying to cut the rock with their wind chakra, but learning a jutsu or two couldn't hurt. He knew his father never really used jutsu, so it was unlikely that they had any here, but maybe the ninja who's copied over a thousand jutsu has some wind jutsu he'd be willing to share? With that thought in mind, he set off for the Hokage office.

He didn't know where Kakashi was most of the time, he knew the man had left ANBU two months ago, so he was somewhere in Konoha most likely, it was just the question of where. He knew his father probably knew where the silver-haired man was so he was heading to his father to ask about Kakashi's location. After climbing two floors, smiling at people who recognized him, exchanging pleasantries with the attendant for his father's office, he finally made it to the older man.

"Hey tou-san!" the blonde boy exclaimed as he went into the room, making the three Minato's smile at him as two returned to the paperwork and the one in the middle maintained his gaze. "So you know how like Kakashi-san knows a lot of jutsu?" asked the blonde as Minato slowly nodded. "Well, I was wondering if you could tell me where he is so I could learn a jutsu from him for my wind element!" the blonde finished brightly as Minato frowned slightly.

"And why do you think you're ready to learn a Jutsu? You're barely into your wind training, I'll admit you're good at it but you haven't even cut the stone perfectly yet. There is one more training exercise after the stone for you to complete anyway." the man finished as Naruto pouted. Minato was not like his wife, he wouldn't crack so suddenly and so easily to giving the boy what he wanted. But, he was still his son and he wanted to prepare him for the outside world as much as possible.

"Tell you what, if you finish and perfect the rock exercise, I'll tell you where Kakashi is." said the man as the blonde beamed. "Only, if you finish it though." the man finished as Naruto excitedly nodded and bound out of the office, making his father shake his head at the Uzumaki enthusiasm before returning to his paperwork, he knew the blonde would probably finish that exercise before the day was even over so he was simply delaying the boy, but it was better for him to have better control over his element and be sure in his training than to try a jutsu only for it to backfire and slice off something.

Naruto was staring at the sixty clones in the field, all holding a stone as big as their palm while they tried to cut in one clean slice. One of the clones finally cut through the stone in one cut but it was jagged and a ragged cut. He instantly dispelled as all of the other clones and Naruto gained the memories on how to do it as easily as he had done it. Soon the clones were doing that same cut but it was losing the ridges and edges in the cut like it used to have, slowly getting better and more refined.

One of the clones gained a smooth edge at one end of the cut and dispelled, letting the others gain the knowledge on how to make the cut smooth in that area and they used that knowledge to make their cuts better. It continued like this, every time one clone made progress he would dispell so the others could learn it and add it onto their own knowledge. He heard another clone dispell and soon half of the cut was smooth, with the bottom half looking jagged and chiseled.

Soon another clone dispelled, causing another centimeter of the stone to become smooth in it's cut. This continued for another minute before one clone shouted in triumph and held up the two clean pieces of rock that were cut. He dispelled when another clone sourly threw his bits of rock at him, upset he hadn't been the special clone to complete it. Naruto processed the information before dispelling the rest of the clones and had to stand still as all of the things the clones had seen came into his knowledge.

He took deep breaths to try and calm down his headache and pulsating heart but it didn't work for either of them so he was forced to instead head to his father's office, holding his head slightly in pain to try and stray off a headache. He had to walk so he made his way to the Hokage's office painfully slowly and was there in fifteen minutes, as opposed to the five it should have taken him. He got there and didn't even say anything to his father's attendant, simply walking into the office.

He continued holding his head with one hand as he put the two halves of clean-cut rock on his father's desk, not meeting the man's gaze as he stared down at the floor, feeling the headache slowly recede into a dull pain as it slowly went away, "Very good job Naruto!" Minato exclaimed loudly as he held up the two halves of rock. "This shows you held up your end, now I guess I gotta hold up mine huh?" asked the man sheepishly as Naruto winced from the loudness in his father's voice.

Naruto nodded to show the man he heard him as Minato had one of ANBU leave to fetch Kakashi. "Well, Kakashi should be on his way here pretty soon." the man said as the two descended into an awkward silence. "How's training with Kushina-chan been?" asked the man with a teasing smile as Naruto scowled at his father.

"I love Kaa-chan but she can be ruthless and very mean when we're training. I'm learning a lot but every time we train I get really bruised." the boy said as he rubbed a phantom pain on the back of his shoulder blade. Minato chuckled at the boy's misfortune, he felt for Naruto since he had once been in the same boat as the boy and training under Kushina was not a fun experience, to say the least. She definitely made you remember the things you learn, but that was simply because she beats it into you not explaining it to you via theory, more physical than that.

"How many of the kata's have you learned? Kushina told me there was something like a hundred and sixty," the man inquired as Naruto quirked his mouth to one side.

"I think I've learned a little over a hundred but it's hard to put them all into one fighting style. It's like trying to organize kunai by their sharpness." the boy ended sourly as Minato scoffed lightly.

"So possible but annoying?" asked the man as Naruto bitterly nodded. "You're only Seven after all," the door opened as Kakashi entered, book and all. "Can't expect you to know everything Naruto." the man finished his sentence as his attention turned to Kakashi. "Good morning Kakashi." the man said with a pleasant smile.

"Morning Minato-sensei." the twenty-six-year-old replied as he dragged his one visible eye to Naruto. It turned into a smile as his eye curved and he lifted his free hand in a wave. "Ohayo Naruto-kun!" the man said kindly as Naruto smiled at Kakashi, the man always seemed so peaceful and happy.

"Ohayo Kakashi-san." replied the boy as Kakashi turned his attention to Minato, his focus returned to his book though.

"And why on this joyous day have you sent for me Hokage-sama?" asked the man as he turned a page in his smut book. Minato rolled his eyes at Kakashi's behavior, the man had a good coping mechanism but it made him appear rather rude.

"Naruto-kun here is in need of a Wind jutsu, and he specifically asked for you." said the man as Kakashi raised an eyebrow, not that they could see due to his headband covering them both.

"And why is Naruto-kun asking for me, not Asuma? He is a Wind specialist after all and would be better to teach you these types of things." the silver-haired man retorted as his one eye glanced at Naruto to examine his facial features on the question before resuming reading his book, rather intrigued with his smut.

"I thought since Asuma-san is always using his knives for wind manipulation, I figured he wouldn't really have any jutsu. But you would since you know over a thousand and I doubt that those are only fire, lighting, and water jutsu. Am I right, Kakashi-san?" asked Naruto as Kakashi made an interesting grunt noise that sounded like it was filled with mirth.

"You have a very interesting son Minato-sensei. Yes, I do have quite a few Wind jutsu in my arsenal due to our conflicts with Suna in the Third Shinobi War. I guess I am not allowed to teach him anything B-rank or up Minato-sensei?" asked the man as Minato nodded.

"Kushina would kill both of us if you did." the man replied as both let out a small shudder, fearing the wrath of the Habanero.

"A-Anyway, let's go Naruto-kun." said the man as he grabbed Naruto's shoulder and the two shunshin'd away to go get Naruto his first Wind jutsu. The two arrived in a flurry of leaves at training ground seven. "Okay, so you would like to learn a Wind Jutsu hm? Have you done any Wind Nature exercises?" asked the man, never taking his attention from his Icha-Icha.

"Yes, I have Kakashi-san. I have cut both the leaf and the rock." the boy answered dutifully as Kakashi nodded slowly, turning a page in his book. "You're not going to be reading that when you teach me the jutsu are you?" asked the boy as Kakashi shrugged, causing Naruto to frown. "I can tell Kaa-chan you preferred to read that then teach me, you know how she feels about perverts." said the boy as the man snapped the book shut with an eye-smile.

"Well, let's teach you the jutsu hm?" the man said as he moved up his headband, giving him a better memory of the certain jutsu. "This is a good one, it is versatile and with the strength of your wind nature, I'm sure it will be quite the force. It is called the **Fuuton: Daitoppa.** The hand seals are," he then put his hands in the tiger seal, before moving to the Ox seal, and then the Dog, then Rabbit, finally finishing on Snake. He had done it painfully slow for Naruto to fully remember them and for him to also not accidentally cast the jutsu.

He then turned around, quickly flashing through two of the hand seals before bringing his middle and index finger on his right hand to his mouth. **"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"** the man boomed as a massive gale of wind that broke branches, and cracked trees, removing bushes straight from their roots and parting water in the lake it hit. The man then turned around the next moment. "As you can see, it is rather destructive and has a widespread and also great long range to deal a wide spread of damage."

"Now you try it." the man said as Naruto stepped up to the same place he did. He ran through the five seals as fast as he could, not nearly as fast as Kakashi before bringing his two fingers in front of his lips as well. **"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"** the boy yelled as his lungs filled with wind. If what Kakashi's jutsu did was destructive, then Naruto's was the apocalypse. He had followed the rule he had made for himself previously and used his raw untamed wind chakra and the results were deafening.

It ripped trees straight from the ground, it dug a massive trench into the ground that the lake started filling over time. His jutsu even reached to the other side of the lake, making tree branches snap and the water part around the jutsu as pure destruction was left in its wake, leaving a panting Naruto on his knees and a gaping Kakashi who had luckily caught the event with his Sharingan. The boy had just cast a C-rank Jutsu with the strength to make it A-rank, it was unheard of when on the first try.

Sure he had taken a while to do the seals, and sure the jutsu had left him tired, but with about a week's worth of practice with his clones, the boy could turn that jutsu from a gale force wind to a hurricane. "W-Well done Naruto-kun. Very well done." the man mumbled, still shocked. He chalked it up to the power of the fox influencing the strength of the jutsu and making it stronger. "You seem pretty tired after that, here." the man said as he handed Naruto a soldier pill, something the boy quickly downed having already known what it was thanks to his father.

He felt his lungs filling with oxygen and his limbs and bones felt stronger, his muscles seemed to pulse with strength as his energy replenished. "I did good right?" asked the boy as he stood, no longer tired thanks to the pill as Kakashi mutely nodded.

"If you want, you can have some clones continue to do the jutsu and practice it so you don't feel so tired after using it. I'm going to go tell Minato-sensei it was a success and that you learned a jutsu." and so much more. He was going to go in depth about the sheer power and strength Naruto's jutsu had, and how it was stronger than he himself made. He doubted Asuma could make a daitoppa that strong. He vanished in a vortex of leaves, barely catching Naruto make thirty clones before he left.

* * *

It was finally the day, it was finally going to be finished, he was going to have all the parts to his weapon. Then, he could put it all together and try it out! Just as he stepped out of his house, Shisui landed next to him, smiling like a loon and also making Naruto groan, he'd forgotten about the deal with Shisui. "What, we're going to have to tell Kushina-sama and Hokage-sama about this secret of yours. You're lucky I let you keep it this long. I'm such a nice sensei aren't I Naruto?" asked Shisui with a smile and head-tilt.

Naruto blew a raspberry, not saying anything to confirm nor deny Shisui's question. Shisui pouted as his attempt at humor went unnoticed. "Can I test it out before we go to show it to my parents? I want to see if it works." said the gennin as Shisui quirked his mouth to one side before shrugging.

"Sure, it should work if you're going to tell them about it after all." the teen finished as the two continued walking in silence, for a little while. "So what does this weapon do?" asked the teen curiously. "All I know is it isn't a sword or something like that." the teen was very intrigued by the sword, so he was saddened when Naruto shrugged.

"Guess you'll find out when I test it out won't you?" asked the boy as Shisui sighed in dismay. "I'm still kinda on the fence about the name I came up with though. I'm thinking of calling it a rifle, dunno why but it sounds cool." the boy said as he shrugged again and the two entered the Hirugashi shop they had been heading for. Shisui even came with Naruto this time and Leo nodded to Naruto before heading into the back. By the time the two got to the counter, Leo was coming out with three separate parts wrapped in cloth.

"Your timing is always amazing Leo-san." said the boy as Leo shrugged.

"Just luck. Now you want the new part first or the other two?" he asked as Naruto raised his eyebrow at him.

"Why wouldn't I want the new part? Is there something wrong with the other two?" asked the boy as Leo shook his head in the negative before pushing forward the middle package and pushing the other two to the sides. Shisui looked over Naruto's shoulder at it and watched as he unwrapped it. It revealed a metal cylinder type thing with a piece of metal that had a small sphere of metal at the end. Leo reached over the counter to the piece.

"So, if you want to put in the thing you want to, you have to-" he stopped suddenly as he remembered something. "I actually had to change up the stock a little." the man said as he reached to the package on the left and unfolded the cloth, revealing the stock but it was slightly different because it now had a curve in the top. "Okay, can you hand that here Naruto-san?" asked the man as Naruto did so. "Okay," the man said as he took the metal piece and slid it right into the top of the wooden stock, clicking it into place with the whole at the back,

"I found out this piece won't stay so I had to have this made," the man said as he took a curved piece of wood and showed it to them before putting it down. "You have to get this barrel, and screw it in like so," the man said as he unfolded the barrel from the cloth and started screwing it into the chamber piece. Once it was firm and tightly screwed in he grabbed the other piece of wood. "Now, this goes on top of this like this," the man said as he clicked the wood on top of the barrel into place.

"See these little clamps here?" asked the man as he showed them a metal little rectangle on each side that was hollow and only the rim. "This goes on here like this," the man said as he clicked it into place with a small metal piece on the second wooden piece and soon the rifle was in one piece. "Did you catch all of that?" asked the big man as Naruto slowly nodded. He kinda knew how to put it together now. "Now, with the extra wood, and the metal piece I made out of the conductive metal, this'll all be a good twelve-hundred Ryo." the man said Shisui's eyes bulged.

That was about two A-ranked mission pays! He was further shocked when Naruto pulled out a wad of Ryo bills and counted out twelve of them before handing them to Leo. "Thank you for the weapon Lyo-san. I can't say how grateful I am." the boy said before bowing to the man, further shocking Shisui. Naruto had never bowed to anyone before, not the Uchiha clan head, not the Hyuuga clan head, not even the Daimyo! He'd actually been there when Naruto had met the Daimyo with his father, the boy had simply said Hi before going back to playing thumb war with himself.

"It was my pleasure to make such an interesting weapon Naruto. If that weapon becomes famous, make sure you tell 'em where it was first made!" the man said as he flexed his bicep and Naruto chuckled, looking at the darkened with soot man.

"I will Leo-san. I will see you around Leo-san." the boy finished before heading out the door, weapon in hand as he did so with a still shocked Shisui with him. They made it to the door before Naruto turned to Shisui with a flat look. "Can you shunshin us to Training ground seven." the boy said as Shisui nodded and shunshin'd the two there. They arrived in a leaf tornado as Naruto exhaled in happiness as he started doing a happy dance in place.

Shisui seemed to come back to his senses as he put a hand on his student's head. "Don't get too happy now. Still gotta test it doncha?" asked the teen as Naruto hurriedly nodded before holding his weapon, the stock at his shoulder and his grip on the underside of the stock holding up the barrel. He looked down the round barrel and frowned, he couldn't aim anything like this. He exhaled before wrapping his supportive hand around the top of the weapon, making his barrel dip down and Naruto to frown.

He laid down and put the forestock against the grass and put his hand on top of the chamber of the rifle. "Okay, can you look at that Shisui-sensei?" asked the boy as Shisui looked at it and nodded. "Okay," the boy said and channeled his wind chakra into the shape of a thin and small stick, somewhat like a sharp stone before letting go of his hold on it, watching it fly out the barrel thanks to the metal making it speed down the barrel.

The wind bullet was gone before they saw it appear, Shisui barely catching the flare of chakra and hearing the splintering of wood. He shunshin'd to the hundred old Oak tree and stared right through the hole in it, and the tree behind it, and the bush behind it. Shisui's eyes widened as he went around the tree and kept going forward, intent on figuring out how far that had gone.

Naruto meanwhile was frowning down at his weapon. Sure it had done what he wanted it to, but he had to hold his hand above the chamber and flick it with his thumb to get it going. He would need something attached to the gun to propel it forward. He would also need to figure out a way to be able to place it on the ground without it laying on the grass itself. He would also have to do something about his aim, he had aimed for the center of the tree but hit the tree about a foot off of where he shot it.

Shisui shunshin'd next to him, his face white as a sheet as he stared at the weapon Naruto held. "N-Naruto h-how far do you t-think that shot went?" asked the teen as Naruto shrugged.

"A hundred feet?" asked the boy with a head tilt. Shisui shook his head slowly. He pointed to the forest to their right with a shaky finger.

"Naruto, that shot went four-hundred meters! Not feet, Meters! That's over a thousand feet!" he exclaimed as Naruto blinked, he hadn't expected it to go that far, maybe the weapon was stronger than he thought. Maybe if he could channel that shot longer it would go farther. Naruto grinned down at his rifle as Shisui blinked rapidly, that was his first ever shot. If Naruto was able to practice more with it, he could probably make that shot go over two thousand feet!

That rifle will be able to kill you faster than can Shunshin away...

* * *

 **I could make the chapter longer but I have one more chapter planned before the time skip and the more words for that chapter the better! So, Naruto's progressing rather rapidly! Wonder when we're finally going to go on a mission? About the whole C-rank mission thing I've been debating skipping it but I know I need to get some better bonding between Naruto and Shisui so I might do like three chapters before the timeskip, who knows.**

 **If you want an image of the rifle, google a m1 garand, that's close.**

 **Beta'd by: SlyUzumakiVii**


	4. The King

**No AN really.**

* * *

Naruto silently fumed outside of his father's office, Shisui next to him leaning against the wall with a serene expression on his face. "Why are we out here again?" asked the boy as Shisui gave no movement to respond other than his lips and tongue moving.

"We're waiting for Kushina-sama, I've said that four times now Naruto." the teen replied tiredly as Naruto rolled his eyes, letting them land on the scroll he had been fiddling with in his hands for the past half hour on the stiff wooden bench outside of his father's office. He wanted to simply get this done with and go to Mr. Hirugashi to try and get his weapon fixed from the flaws he had found when he shot it. It would need something similar to a telescope on the top so he could actually aim at what he was firing at.

He also needed to figure out a way to have his wind shots ready to go without him putting them in the actual barrel, something similar to a sealing tag maybe. If he could figure out a way to make them before sealing them, making them keep their form in the process then he could fit the sealing tag in the barrel and have one in each sealing tag. He could put in a new sealing tag to the rifle between every shot, otherwise, the tag would be ripped up by the wind element and would waste all of the sealed shots.

If he could get Leo to make him something to aim with, he could probably handle the sealing tag problem and be able to fix the problems of his rifle. He would have to make the sealing tag very narrow to be able to have it fit in the barrel, a brush would be too thick and long of a stroke for the narrow tag he might have to try and use a pen. "How 'bout we take a mission? Our first mission as teacher and student ya know?" asked the teen next to him as he opened an eye to Naruto, a smile on his lips.

"Besides, you need to finally get out of the village. It'll be hard to convince Kushina-sama but I'm sure Hokage-sama will understand." the teen finished off his reasoning as he stood from the wall, sensing Kushina approaching the building. "What do ya think?" asked the teen as Naruto gave the boy a happy nod. Shisui bobbed his head up and down in response to Naruto. "I'll probably ask Hokage-sama about it tomorrow, today'll be chaotic enough for _you_." the teen said, stressing the _you_ part of his sentence gaining an annoyed scowl from Naruto in the progress.

Kushina stepped up the stairs, walking down the hall with confusion masking her face. "What are you two doing here, did Minato call you too?" asked the woman as she reached them, smiling at Naruto in the process. Shisui turned sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I actually asked Matsumi-san here," the teen said as he gestured to the attendant. "To summon you, Naruto needs to talk to the two of you and I figured now was the best time for it." the teen finished with a closed-eye smile as Kushina turned her attention to Naruto. The boy himself looked as if someone had kicked his puppy, annoyed and angered at the kicker who in this case was Shisui. And he was worried for the puppy which in this case was talking to his parents about his secret weapon.

He didn't know why he was scared about it, maybe it was simply his childish nerves that said getting a private talk with your parents about something you hid from them immediately screamed danger. "Okay, why couldn't he tell us later or before now?" she asked as she turned her attention to Naruto, intent on him answering her but was answered again by Shisui.

"I brought him here just like I asked for you to be summoned, he didn't want to tell you two about-" the teen abruptly let out a yelp by Naruto kicking his shin, turning to round on the boy only to find him already heading into the Hokage office. He turned to Kushina expecting her to be mad at Naruto for kicking his sensei but instead found her giggling behind her palm, causing him to facefault at her actually encouraging Naruto with the disrespect of his own sensei.

The red-haired woman followed the boy as Shisui followed behind her, shutting the doors as he did so, leaving him, Minato, Kushina, and Naruto alone in the office. Shisui leaned against the door, fully intent on letting Naruto do this himself without his intervention. Minato had dispelled his paperwork clones and put down his pen his full attention on his son as he peered at the younger blonde curiously. "Shisui-kun says you have something to tell us?" asked the red-haired woman standing next to Naruto slowly nodded.

The next ten seconds passed by in silence before it was broken by the owner of the office. "Do you want to tell us?" asked the man as Naruto shook his head in the negative causing both parents to raise an eyebrow.

"He will though." spoke the dark-haired teen on the other side of the room as Naruto sighed heavily, upset with the situation he had been forced into. The weapon wasn't even that good right now, he needed to add many improvements before he felt confident taking it into combat.

"I assume it has something to do with the scroll you're holding Naruto?" asked the blonde man as Naruto gave a slow defeated nod. "What's in it?" questioned the man as he regarded the scroll cautiously.

"A project." the boy said his first two words since entering as Minato blinked, he'd expected something much worse.

"Something you're working on I assume?" asked the man, not seeing the logic in having someone else's project. The boy nodded again as Minato's brow furrowed. "Then why do you have to show us?" asked the man as Naruto and Shisui both blinked as Naruto turned his attention to his father. "I kept my Rasengan secret basically the entire time it took me to create it. I only revealed the Hiraishin in the last two months of development because I needed Kushi-chan's help with some of the seals. If you want to keep it a secret that's fine by me, so long as I see the finished product." the man had floored Shisui as Naruto beamed in happiness, he didn't want to show his parents his incomplete project and have that be their first glimpse at his creation, a half-finished mess.

He bound around the desk and hugged his father, his smile megawatt as Shisui stumbled forward, his tongue not cooperating with him to speak. "B-But, y-you need to see this weapon Hokage-sama." said the teen as Minato frowned at the teen.

"Is it going to suddenly explode and kill all of us?" asked the man as Shisui frowned lightly.

"No..."

"Is it something that only attacks Konoha Shinobi?" asked the man again as Shisui gave the same answer. "Then I see no problem in Naruto keeping his private affairs private. I'm sure he'll reveal it when it's ready, won't he?" asked the man as he wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulders, drawing the boy in as he rapidly nodded. Shisui gave one final resigned sigh before bowing lightly.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." the teen said, defeated that the Hokage had just basically told him no.

"Now, if there's nothing else you all can leave I guess." said the man as Naruto gave his one final squeeze before leaving through the door, Kushina kissing Minato briefly before following him. Shisui continued standing there as Minato looked at the somewhat shy teen. "I don't expect you to give me a kiss too Shisui." said the man with a bemused smile, Shisui flushing a slight red in embarrassment before violently shaking his head in the negative.

"I request that I along with my student Naruto Namikaze take a C-ranked mission." said the teen as he held the Hokage's gaze as Minato sighed, leaning back into his chair as he did so. Minato hadn't shaved in a few weeks now and that was evident as the man scratched at the small stubble growing on his chin in thought of the question raised by Shisui.

"You realize my son isn't any Gennin right Shisui?" asked the man as Shisui gave a sharp nod.

"I do realize that you have made many enemies, enemies that would gladly take their hatred out on your son if it were found out that he was outside of Konoha's walls. That is why I also request my ANBU squad accompany us in the mission. They would not show themselves unless enemy shinobi appear and Naruto will not even know they are there." offered the teen as Minato slowly nodded, his hand that was scratching his chin now rubbing his temples.

"Kushina's going to kill both of us when she finds out." the man muttered as Shisui nodded in the affirmative.

"That's why I ask we leave as soon as possible, my whole squad is currently off-duty here within the walls. Me and Itachi could stay out in the open with Naruto, to ward off any potential enemies while the other three members of our squad remain in the shadows." the teen finished as Minato chewed his bottom lip lightly before giving a loud sigh as he leaned forward, looking through the left portion of his desk in the mission scrolls. He took one out and unrolled it, reading it briefly before giving one final sigh.

"It's a protection detail, straight to Kusa and back, nothing more nothing less." the man commanded as he handed the scroll to Shisui. "I'd recommend telling Naruto last that way he doesn't blab to Kushina." said the man as he sunk into his chair, dreading the conversation with his Uzumaki wife he would have within two hours. "The client said he would be at the hotel, his name is Gato, I'm sure you've heard of him." said the man as Shisui blinked.

"The owner of Gato Industries? It's pretty hard not to hear about the third richest man in the Elemental Nations. Why is he here in Konoha?" asked the man in curiosity as Minato shrugged.

"Said he had some personal business to do here. Simply escort him to Kusa and get back, it's not that hard Shisui." said the man as Shisui gave a hurried bow before backing out of the room.

* * *

While the two of them had been talking, Naruto had been having a walk through the park. He wanted to stay outside a little longer, it felt perfect outside due to it being so cloudy so the cover would come and go giving him the perfect balance of heat and cool. He didn't feel like walking down the crowded streets, having to try and listen over everyone so he had chosen the peaceful and quiet trip on the smooth stone pathway that goes through the middle of the grassy park.

Children were playing in the sand, mothers were talking, men were playing games, and there was an old man walking down the path in front of him. It wasn't too odd to see someone old walking but he felt as if the man was walking at him, with no one else on the path it felt like it was for a reason. The man had one arm in a sling, a cane held by the other, and half of his face was covered in bandages with one squinted eye watching him.

They met midway, both stopping a respectful five feet from the other. Now that he looked at him, he looked like one of the elders that worked for his father. "Hello, young Namikaze." the man said stiffly as he kept his one visible eye on him.

"Hey, you're one of my dad's elders right?" asked the boy as the man gave an almost unseen nod. Naruto smiled and nodded in understanding. "Cool." the boy said as Danzo made no movement, showed no emotion, said no response. "Wanna sit down? It probably doesn't feel too good to stand if you need a cane." the boy said as he pointed to a nearby table, two chairs at it facing each other.

"Very well." the man sounded as if he was doing it for Naruto, not for himself. Naruto sat down, not entirely knowing why he was sitting down with the old man. "How has your training as a Shinobi been going?" asked the man as Naruto frowned lightly, the man didn't have too many manners. Neither did he in all fairness.

"It's goin' okay. It's cool to learn stuff." said the boy as he looked over at Danzo, the man keeping his eye on Naruto. Suddenly a black blur appeared and then there was a box between them on the table before the blur was gone. Naruto didn't even fully register what had happened before Danzo was opening the box, taking out its contents as he did so.

"Do you know how to play Chess?" asked the man as Naruto shrugged, he'd played it before he wasn't amazing but he knew how. Danzo continued to set up the board, giving himself the black side and Naruto the white before he set the board on the ground next to them. The man then placed his hands back in his lap, his one dark eye staring ahead at Naruto waiting for him to initiate the game. Naruto quirked his mouth to one side before moving his knight, putting it on the front lines.

Danzo scoffed as he moved the pawn opposite the knight forward one place. "You should not expose a useful piece so soon, pawns are expendable, knights are not." the man said as Naruto frowned lightly before moving forward one of his pawns up two places.

"But if the stronger pieces didn't do stuff too, then the match would go on forever." the boy said as Danzo continued moving the same pawn forward. Naruto then pushed up his own pawn to the point it was side-by-side with Danzo's own. Danzo's then moved a bishop, taking that pawn as he did so. "See?" asked the boy as he moved a pawn to the point it was diagonal of the exposed bishop.

"Using a stronger unit's strength is wise, but simply exposing a stronger unit and not attack with it is foolish." said the man as he retracted the bishop, not attacking the pawn. Naruto furrowed his brow as he moved that same pawn forward before it was then taken by another pawn. Naruto groaned as he moved his knight forward, taking that pawn as he did so. Naruto then lost that knight due to another pawn as Naruto frowned, moving a pawn up two pieces.

Danzo then moved forward his own pawn, making it diagonal with Naruto's own. Naruto took the pawn, not seeing the mistake he made. Danzo then moved his bishop, lining it with the now exposed King. "Check." the old man stated as Naruto moved his Queen to block the path of the bishop. Danzo snorted as he moved the bishop, taking the queen as he did so. "Check." the old man said as Naruto moved his King, taking the bishop causing Danzo to narrow his one eye as he moved his open queen, taking the King and making him the winner.

"It would seem you are not ready yet." the man said softly as Naruto blinked at him.

"What?" asked the boy as Danzo seemingly ignored him. The man reached into his robes and withdrew a scroll, which he placed on the board. "There are some jutsu to add to your knowledge, I will be seeing you again Naruto Namikaze." the man said as he stood up and walked off, leaving Naruto alone with the chess board and scroll, causing the boy to be rather confused. He picked up the scroll and inspected it before opening it, his eyes widening at the Wind Jutsu inside the scroll.

He looked up to say thanks to the man but he was gone, along with the chessboard that the man hadn't picked up. Even his chair was pushed in which was another thing the man had not done. Naruto shrugged off the strangeness as he smiled down at the scroll in his hands, there were two A-ranked jutsu and one B, he couldn't wait to learn them. It would seem fate had different ideas though as Shisui landed in a shunshin next to the boy.

"I got us that mission... what are you doing sitting here?" asked the teen, not understanding the ball of energy just sitting there not actively doing something. "You good?" asked the teen as Naruto happily nodded, making the teen even more suspicious but he disregarded the thought as Itachi landed next to him in a Shunshin similar to his own. "Well, we're goin' on that mission but this guy's comin' with us." the teen said jabbing his thumb in Itachi's direction as Naruto crinkled his nose in disgust, causing the prodigy to roll his eyes as Shisui and Naruto grinned.

"We're not supposed to let Kushina-sama know so you might wanna get your stuff quietly." the teen said with a finger to his lips as Naruto nodded in understanding and dashed off to his house, excited to finally be going on a mission.

"How have you not taught him the shunshin yet?" asked Itachi incredulously as Shisui shrugged not entirely knowing himself as the two headed for the gate.

"I'll probably teach it to him when we get back or somethin'," the teen said offhandedly as Itachi shrugged not exactly caring how his friend taught his student.

* * *

The group of three walked down the beaten dirt path leading out of Hi no Kuni, one of them was bored, one was neutral, and another was excited. Shisui was bored because he could be doing many better things such as sparring with Itachi, Itachi was neutral because he didn't mind peaceful walks through shady Konoha, and Naruto was excited since it was his first ever mission outside the gates.

With the three was a short man in a black business suit and a purple tie, his walking cane making small holes in the dirt as they walked. He wasn't visually pleasing at all with his aged face and black shades, incomplete mustache sitting above his lip and a scowl of annoyance only added to this. Naruto didn't really care, the client was the mission he was told so he couldn't exactly tell the client he was ugly, could he?

They had set out for their mission seven hours ago and were just about to pass the border of the Land of Fire and into Kusa. "Wait!" the short man hissed as Naruto rolled his eyes but stopped, he had found out he doesn't like Gato. Shisui and Itachi felt the same but were more reserved with their thoughts after already having dealt with annoying clients before.

The three turned to him as he walked to the side, going to a bush. "I must go to the bathroom, wait here!" he barked as if they were dogs and soon the short man disappeared behind the foliage as Naruto let out a sigh of annoyance. The man was truly insufferable, asking for breaks because of his bad leg, asking when they were going to get there, pestering them that children shouldn't be protecting him.

"Why do we have to escort such an annoying midget?" the blonde muttered bitterly as Shisui and Itachi's lips curved up in amusement.

"You're an annoying midget too Naruto." said the boy's sensei and Naruto scowled at the snickering teenagers. Before the blonde could retort they heard a laugh that sounded too suspicious to be innocent as Gato came back into view, facing them with a wicked snarl on his face. In moments the two ANBU who had remained in the shadows had appeared in blurs next to the three, facing Gato with tanto's drawn an action the other two teens shared as they took out kunai.

Naruto soon realized why when four men walked up behind the shorter man, two had swords while another two used strange gauntlets. There was another person but Naruto wasn't sure if it was a girl or not. The man on Gato's immediate right had his lower face bound in bandages with his hitai-ate sitting on top of his head at a sideways angle. The distinguishing factor about him was the massive sword on his back that was about as long as the man was tall.

Before Naruto could take in the other's appearance Shisui spoke. "So, Gato. You chose to hire some Missing-Nin to kill us?" asked the teen, his grip on his kunai tightening as he did so.

The short man let out a laugh that made Naruto's teeth grind as he waved a hand through the air. "Of course, why would I want to pay you Konoha trash when these men are much cheaper. I will see you four at my base." the short man then hobbled away as the five stared down the five.

"Zabuza Momochi, Demon of the Bloody Mist. A-ranked missing-nin of Kiri for attempting to assassinate your own Mizukage. Mangetsu Hozuki The Second Coming of the Demon, S-ranked Missing Nin with the ability to wield all seven of the legendary swords of Kiri, also tried to assassinate your Mizukage." Naruto's anger that had been festering for the two to try and kill their own Kage died down when he realized they were an S-ranked ninja and that he wouldn't stand a chance.

That had been a lesson Shisui had beat into him, if you're weaker don't assume you can win a battle. His attention was taken from his thoughts when Itachi started speaking.

"The Demon Brothers, C-ranked Missing-Nin from Kiri after joining Zabuza in his escape." Naruto looked at the S-ranked missing-nin and in his honesty, he didn't look as intimidating as Zabuza. He was about Itachi's height and had a large scroll on his back with no other weapons on him. He had white hair and pupiless purple eyes. Despite being Missing-Nin he didn't have his headband slashed.

The tall Zabuza chuckled as he hefted his massive sword onto his shoulder. "I guess it's only fair I introduce you two as well. Shunshin no Shisui, an A-ranked ninja who mastered the shunshin and is said to have the best Genjutsu alive. Itachi Uchiha, the prodigy of the Uchiha clan and an A-ranked ninja for his skill but there's no specifics. Kinda makes me think you're a bit weak."

The man's attention shifted to Naruto and he let out a loud laugh as his lips curved behind his bindings. "The Namikaze gaki. Bet if we give him to Iwa we'll get a shit ton of pay ne?" asked the man as his white-haired counterpart nodded in affirmative, eyes locking on Shisui. "I'll take the prodigy, you play with the Shunshin Shit. Gozu Meizu, you two get the ANBU, Haku takes care of the kid." the man said and no sooner was the ANBU on the Demon Brothers like flies on a carcass.

"Hai, Zabuza-sama." whispered the soft voice of Haku as a senbon needle slipped into their hold. Soon, the clearing filled with mist thick enough to make Naruto almost blind. He ran through hand seals as he brought his index and middle finger to his lips, aiming where the ninja just was.

 **"Futon: Daitoppa!"** he thundered as massive force of wind cleared the area, catching a pair of fighters off-guard as well as sending the Demon Brothers flying while the others stuck to the ground with their chakra. The enemy was surprised at the strength behind the jutsu as they had gained quite a few nicks and cuts and Naruto didn't even seem to be winded.

"Some gaki you got there." the Demon of the Mist trailed off as he clashed blades with Itachi a moment later.

"That was quite a jutsu Namikaze-san." said the person wearing a mask that was about ten feet ahead of Naruto, the mist having dispersed slightly to reveal the masked person before him in better detail. They wore a loose kimono over a grey sweater dress that went down to their knees before finishing off leading to some civilian-grade wooden sandals.

"Shut up!" the blonde hissed as he took out a kunai, he was beyond angry that people would betray their Kage like that. He didn't know anything about Kiri but he knew that betraying ones Kage was an ultimate crime, and growing up the son of a Kage only reinforced that belief so to betray one's village by attacking their leader was as if they had committed the ultimate sin.

Naruto dashed forward with decent speed and clashed kunai versus senbon with Haku who had been able to match Naruto's speed. They were close to the same age which made the playing field a little even for the two shinobi, but Naruto had the advantage in sheer strength due to him being bigger. He slowly started to push back the needle as Haku frowned behind their mask.

"You are stronger than I am Namikaze-san but you failed to realize two things, this mist has given me water for my jutsu, and you need both hands to make seals," they said as their one hand started flashing through seals before stopping on the ram.

 **"Sensatsu Suisho"** was said as the mist around them started forming into sharp needles of hardened water, similar to ice before they flung at Naruto and Haku. Naruto snarled as he dropped an exploding tag his father had packed for him on the floor and lunged back, feeling several of the sharp needles pierce his arms and back as he hissed in pain but had avoided the majority of the needles.

Haku had clearly seen the tag and jumped back just as it exploded, nullifying the ice technique as the area they just occupied went up in smoke and flames. It's the moment's like this that Naruto wished he had a sword of his own to try and fight with, his mother had been adamant about only training for now before moving onto actual swords.

Naruto threw his kunai at the shinobi before him who curved their head around the tri-pronged kunai and before they could question the weak attack Naruto kawarami'd with the kunai and appeared behind Haku, another kunai in hand poised for the back of their head. Reflexes kicked in as Haku spun on a dime and was able to redirect the kunai to their shoulder from their skull with a hasty senbon.

They grunted in pain as Naruto removed the kunai and swung it for their neck which they dodged before thrusting their senbon up for his jaw which he leaned his head back from and performed a hasty backflip to create distance between him and his bleeding opponent. "It would seem I underestimated you Namikaze-san." they saw a ball of flame in the distance but it was blurred from the mist. "I must hurry this so I can assist Zabuza-sama," they said before flying through hand seals.

 **"Makyo Hyosho"** a crystal mirror appeared in front of Haku as others appeared all around Naruto in a dome. The person stepped into the mirror and soon their image was in each mirror as Naruto's brows rose in surprise of the technique. "This technique is unbeatable, please surrender or die." asked the Kiri shinobi as Naruto growled at them. Naruto summoned several Kage Bunshin as they all spread apart only to be dispelled by needles as a dark blur sped past, too fast for Naruto to see clearly.

He made two more clones as the blur made a pass from the right to the left, taking care of the clones. He made two more as the blur went from left to right but also hit him with a few senbon. Naruto smirked as he figured out her plan despite the pain in his chest from the wet needles. He made two more clones but threw his kunai as fast as he could to the upper left of them as the ninja did the same as before but didn't see the kunai until it was almost too late, gaining a cut from across the stomach.

The person reappeared in a mirror as they held a hand to their bleeding midsection. "H-How?" they asked as Naruto smirked, his confidence and arrogance showing through.

"I predicted where you were gonna go, pretty easy when you do the same thing every time." he teased as his opponent glared at him through the slits of their mask. They then blurred away to another mirror above him, shotting three senbon that ripped through through the tendons his legs, causing the boy to collapse to his knees as he was too critically injured to stand. Naruto growled from his downed position as he glared up at the mirror Haku had gone into.

"I fear that this is the end Namikaze-san, I am sorry." said the Yuki clan member as three more senbon appeared in their hand as Naruto let out a shallow breath and took out a scroll from his sleeve, revealing his weapon. Luckily, this was a situation he did not truly need to aim.

"I am not, traitor." the boy said before gripping the weapon around the hilt as his other palm slapped down on the chamber, falling onto his back as he channeled wind chakra planning on shooting straight up. Haku clearly hadn't been expecting as they appeared right in front of him, landing on his weapon barrel with a hole literally torn through their chest. Naruto's strength left him as the body and weapon collapsed on him as he looked at the blood coating him.

He had thought killing a traitor to their village would feel good, but it just felt hollow. It didn't feel good to bring justice to Kiri for killing a traitor but it felt somewhat sickening that he'd killed another person like that. "Naruto!" a shout brought him back to his senses as he noticed the dome had disappeared and the fog had lessened considerably, Itachi was in a water bubble held by the Zabuza man while Mangetsu held Shisui at a stalemate a bit away, keeping Shisui from saving Itachi.

No one had seen how he killed Haku just that the boy had done it. He realized Shisui had called his name but his attention was focused on his suffocating brother and the man holding him in the bubble. Tears pricked at the edges of his eyes as he laid the gun on top of Haku's body which was collapsed over his lap. He took aim at Zabuza's midsection since he couldn't truly aim with no type of sight.

"LET HIM GO!" yelled Naruto but Zabuza did nothing as Naruto growled. **"LET HIM GO!"** the boy shouted, a demonic tint coming to his voice but despite being spooked slightly the man didn't relinquish his hold.

A blood-curdling roar went through the clearing, a red cloak forming around the blonde boy as the snarling visage of Naruto greeted them all. This boy was no longer a boy at this point, he was the demon inside of him.

And it was hungry for **blood.**

Naruto screamed as he channeled chakra into his hand, demonic, wind, and basic as his gun started glowing making everyone watching tense in worry. Mangetsu tried to warn Zabuza but was too late as a massive beam erupted from the gun, making Naruto shoot back from the power behind it as he landed against a tree, gasping in pain as he did so before his red cloak went away and he focused on the thing in his hands, it used to be his rifle but it was not meant to contain that level of chakra and had exploded from the inside, making the center of the weapon combust and give Naruto two smoking pieces.

Naruto looked up from his broken weapon and was greeted by a bone-chilling sight.

The man was standing in the exact same place, his eyes wide and dead as he stared ahead. Itachi had been released from the prison due to Zabuza's chakra system literally being vaporized making him lose his hold on the bubble as his bindings gained the red crimson color of blood. There was a massive hole in the man's torso, from his collarbone to his belt, from one edge of skin to the other on the sides making it seem like he was a massive archway.

Blood poured down like a waterfall covering the hole as blood and other liquids jetted out from the sides of the hole as the water below him turned a nasty rusty red from the combination of the guts and blood that had spilled from the man.

With no support, the man's body collapsed in on itself, not a pretty sight at all as his body fell to the water. Even the sword on his back had been vaporized almost entirely by the technique. Mangetsu stopped fighting Shisui as he witnessed the power behind the technique. Nothing happened for a solid five seconds before Mangetsu appeared above Zabuza, grabbing his half-destroyed sword before being gone in a shunshin.

The Demon Brothers were shaking in their binds out of fear for Naruto as the boy himself shook for another reason. Shisui gaped for a little while longer at the sheer carnage but Itachi was by Naruto's side in an instant, pulling the traumatized boy into a hug as he rubbed his head and back. Naruto didn't cry though, his eyes simply stayed wide as he clutched to his older-brother figure with a vice-grip. "It's okay, you did it to protect me, it's okay." the man whispered as he rubbed the boy's back trying his best to comfort his brother in all but blood.

* * *

The next day Naruto still hadn't really talked,

Nor the next,

Nor the next,

Not until they made it to Konoha. Shisui and Itachi sighed as the two ANBU went to ANBU HQ with the Demon Brothers leaving Naruto, Shisui, and Itachi to stand at the gates as Shisui signed them in before sighing as he ran a hand through his shaggy hair, his gaze turning to Naruto. "I'll tell Hokage-sama and give the report, take him to Kushina-sama she'll probably know what to do." said the teen as Itachi nodded but Naruto's voice stopped them.

"No," the boy whispered.

Shisui and Itachi snapped their eyes to the boy who shook his head robotically slow. "Kaa-chan doesn't need the stress to add onto the baby. Don't tell her." said the boy as he continued walking on down the road, Shisui and Itachi narrowing their eyes at the retreating back.

"She's your mother Naruto, she deserves to know!" the boy's sensei hollered back at him as Naruto stopped, turning to face the two.

"Why should we tell her? It will only bring hate and pain to everyone. I do not wish for my mother to feel that level of strife and for her to be worried about me. My mother deserves better than the pain of knowing. If you two are as kind and responsible as I know you are, I expect you will not tell Kaa-chan." the boy then continued walking as if he hadn't just spoken with the wiseness of a veteran shinobi.

There was a long silence between the two Uchiha teens as they both had a different reaction to Naruto's words. Itachi's was more subdued since he knew where the boy was coming from but Shisui was much more verbal with his acknowledge of the fact he knew Naruto was right.

"I fucking hate prodigies," Shisui muttered before he disappeared in a sealless Shunshin and Itachi frowned as he watched Naruto's retreating back. He shook his head before shunshining away to his clan compound to tell his mother of his return, he would let the boy cool off and try and get his head back.

Naruto arrived at training ground Seven, staring at the memorial stone of Konoha. In Konoha, they had a stone that commemorated people who died in the line of duty and while people had always said it hurt to lose someone or for your first kill, he had never expected for it to feel this bad to kill someone who was a traitor to their own village.

He thought back to how his Daitoppa hadn't been enough to stop the conflict, and how because of that Itachi's life had been put in danger.

He turned away from the memorial stone, unrolling the scroll the War Hawk had given him as he read the three jutsu inside of it. He made a number of clones he didn't even count, just told them to start going through the hand seals and practice the jutsu. He left them to do that as he walked to the lake, taking in the tranquility of the land and how peaceful it seemed.

 **"Futon: Daitoppa!"** the boy yelled as he blew out a massive hurricane of water, much stronger than the one he had used against the Kiri-nin but it wasn't strong enough.

 **"Futon: Daitoppa!"** not enough

 **"Futon: Daitoppa!"** still not enough

 **"FUTON: DAITOPPA!"** It's never enough!

 **"FUTON: DAITOPPA!"** it still wasn't enough...

He stared at the new river he had formed, the water of the lake flowing into the four-hundred-foot long trench on the other side of the lake that was slowly being filled with water, even as he fell to his knees panting he knew it wouldn't be enough to protect those he loved from harm.

It was never enough but Naruto was going to get as close as he could.

A Silver-haired Jonnin appeared behind the boy, single visible brow raised in surprise at the mayhem Naruto had caused as well as the number of clones behind him training on jutsu he hadn't taught him. "Where'd you get the new jutsu Naruto-kun?" asked the silver-haired man with quite a bit of joy in his voice, much more than Naruto possessed.

"What do you want Kakashi?" asked the boy, voice flat as he stared at the lake as he panted.

"I'm pretty sure I asked you."

"Do you really care?" the blonde retorted as Kakashi's book snapped shut, figuring out Naruto was clearly not himself.

"Hm, suppose not. How'd your mission go, didn't think you were back yet?" questioned the Jonnin as Naruto shrugged.

"It technically failed because the client didn't pay." Kakashi raised a brow, he didn't think Itachi and Shisui wouldn't just _let_ him not pay.

"And how did he get away with not paying?" asked the man as Naruto shrugged yet again.

"Ask Tou-san, Itachi-niisan, or Shisui-sensei." Kakashi now was outright frowning, Naruto was acting like a shit. He acted as if he didn't care about the chain of command, didn't respect anyone, and as if he didn't care about what happened to him. It also raised suspicion as to where he got the wind jutsu since those were a hard thing to come by in the village of Konoha. Kakashi acted indifferent though as he shunshin'd away, off to the Hokage office to ask Minato about the mission.

 **Six Hours Later...**

The day ended as dusk arrived, signaling the end of Naruto's training session. Naruto dispelled the clones by the tens, finishing in a few minutes as he processed the learning all of the clones had done. They had completed the B-rank and almost completed the two A-ranks. He may have learned them and could use them, but not as effectively as his Daitoppa so there was no point in using those instead of the Daitoppa until he completed them.

He was currently walking back home when he felt something impact with his side, making him snap his head to the smirking Suki Uchiha for having caught him off guard. Naruto didn't react though, he just gave her a nod and kept walking down the street. Suki frowned at her plan failing as she fell-into-step with the blonde, nudging his side with her elbow. "So?" she asked dragging out the 'o' as Naruto made a questioning hum in reply.

"How was the mission? I bet you kicked serious ass!" she exclaimed with a smirk as Naruto's eyes widened.

 _Haku clearly hadn't been expecting as they appeared right in front of him, landing on his weapon barrel with a hole literally torn through their chest. Naruto's strength left him as the body and weapon collapsed on him as he looked at the blood coating him._

Naruto almost paused in his step but gathered himself just in time to make it seem like nothing was wrong, he continued walking down the street with the excited Uchiha at his side. He gave no response though as the girl shrugged. "So'd you get to use your new weapon Nii-san told me about?" asked the Academy student and this time Naruto did stop.

 _There was a massive hole in the man's torso, from his collarbone to his belt, from one edge of skin to the other on the sides making it seem like he was a massive archway._ _Blood poured down like a waterfall covering the hole as blood and other liquids jetted out from the sides of the hole as the water below him turned a nasty rusty red from the combination of the guts and blood that had spilled from the man._ _With no support, the man's body collapsed in on itself, not a pretty sight at all as his body fell to the water. Even the sword on his back had been vaporized almost entirely by the technique._

Suki realized he'd stopped and turned, her eyes taking in Naruto's frozen form as he stared at her.

It wasn't her fault, he repeated the mantra in his head. It wasn't her fault she was curious about how her best friend did on his first C-rank mission, it wasn't her fault she didn't know what happened. Naruto's eyes widened in shock and realization. This was why he had killed those two,

To protect the Village.

And the strongest would always protect the weak, to bring balance to the world. He reached behind him into his shinobi pouch, taking out something Suki had thought was long gone.

His cracked and broken goggles. He took her hand before opening it, setting the goggles in the hand carefully before giving her a grim smile. "I did not only kick ass Suki-chan," he whispered as he looked down at the goggles. They had been a gift for a weak and Naive boy who knew nothing of the world, back when he had been innocent. "I killed two people in cold blood because I chose the fact Itachi-Nissan's life was more important than their own."

Naruto's eyes widened as everything clicked into place.

 _Naruto was practicing his calligraphy at the Sarutobi residence, he'd just been given a free kit for calligraphy by Hiruzen and he was trying it out at the man's home. It was his fourth birthday and he'd had a very good birthday today. Now, it was the end of the night and he had wanted to spend the night at Hiruzen's so here he was hanging out with his 'Jiji' as he practiced his calligraphy.  
_

 _"Naruto-kun?" asked the old Sarutobi as the boy looked up from his work, setting down the brush as he did so while putting his hands on his knees as he sat on his shins._

 _"Hai Jiji?" asked the blonde as Hiruzen gained a rather serious look on his face._

 _"Who is the King of Konoha?" asked the old man as Naruto pouted._

 _"Like the most important guy in chess?" asked the young blonde with a head tilt as Hiruzen nodded his head. "Well the Hokage duh!" the boy exclaimed, proud of himself for getting it right on the first try. To his confusion though, Hiruzen shook his head in the negative as he pointed at Naruto._

 _"The Hokage is simply a pawn, a front line of defense for the King. The King is the most important thing in the Village and must be protected at all costs. For once this King is gone, it can never be regained Naruto-kun. That is why we must protect the King to the best of our ability or we would lose."  
_

 _"Do you understand Naruto-kun?"_

I understand Old man. The blonde placed a hand against Suki's cheek as he rubbed his thumb over the gentle flesh as if cherishing it like gold. The girl herself was a blushing stuttering mess as she tried to form words. "I hope you keep your throne Suki-chan. Once a King loses their throne, they can't get it back," he whispered before he continued walking home, feeling much better than he did ten minutes ago. Suki was left blushing in the street as she turned to watch Naruto's retreating back as she stared at the goggles in her hand.

"BakaNaru," she whispered as she walked home, a smile on her face at Naruto's affection.

Naruto was able to step into his house only to be greeted by Shisui, Itachi, Minato, Kakashi, and Hiruzen sitting on the couch. It would seem his mother was not here, a fact he tried to explain as his eyes searched around. "Kushina's asleep Naruto-kun." said the Oldest of the five as Naruto nodded at what the man said.

"So Naruto, we need to talk." said the boy's sensei as Naruto nodded and took another step forward, the five noticing the serene smile on the boys face. "You okay Naruto?" asked the teen as Naruto seemed to think about the question. The five of them had come here to talk to him, seeing how they were the five closest to him besides Kushina and Suki. They knew that your first kill was never good but the way Naruto had done it and just basically not reacted was much worse.

"I..." Naruto thought about the gentle and kindness of Suki and his guilt was eased. "Hai, I am." said the blonde as three blinked. They'd seen Naruto earlier and he had not been okay at all.

"Mind explaining how you got okay?" asked Shisui again as Naruto smiled, but this time turned his gaze to Hiruzen.

"I realized who the King truly is Jiji." the blonde said as Hiruzen's eyes widened, it had taken him over forty years to figure out who the King of the village was. "I have come to peace with killing Haku and Zabuza, it was in an effort to protect the King of Konoha so it was a justified killing." the blonde said as his smile turned grimmer while the other four in the room were just clueless.

"Am I the only one confused?" asked Kakashi as the other three nodded.

"What is Naruto talking about Hiruzen?" asked Minato as Hiruzen frowned slightly.

"Naruto-kun, whisper who the King is in my ear." said the old man as Naruto approached him, leaning down to whisper in the old man's ear as he cupped his mouth.

 _"The next generation."_


	5. Kitsune's

**The way it currently is is that Naruto does not have the Kyuubi but due to being in the womb of Kushina for so long he had developed a bit of its power and absorbed it. He expelled all of it in the last chapter with the shot that killed Zabuza and no longer has any of the Kyuubi's power. From now on it's pure Naruto. Being raised in a Jinchuuriki body and being Uzumaki made him have larger reserves than most, similar to the actual Kyuubi Jinchuuriki just not as severe.**

 **Eminated: Whoops**

 **A wave of inspiration hit me and I didn't go to sleep, chose to write all night and was able to edit it after and here we are posting.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

Naruto sat anxiously to the side of the room as he watched his mother writhe in pain with Biwako and his father doing their best to help her through the labor and keep an eye on the seal respectively. He had convinced his father to let him be in the cabin for when the day came, just in case they needed someone to protect them. His father had declined, saying how the barrier should be more than enough but Naruto badgered him for weeks only getting him to say yes if he became Chunnin.

He'd become Chunnin three months ago in the Exams in Suna, he'd even won the exams with his rifle and jutsu. Naruto had progressed immensely in the past eight months, he'd gained much better control with his Wind Element to the point he had been able to cut a waterfall in half, he'd even upgraded his rifle.

It now had the hole where he could put the wind chakra in the back of the chamber, that way he could put his thumb to it with the hand holding the stock and with his better control he could release finer and more powerful shots.

He'd also gotten very skilled with Kenjutsu, not to his mother's level but he was about specialist level with the blade. He'd chosen an Odachi, but since he was still rather small he'd had it shortened by about fifteen inches bringing it to about sixty inches as opposed to the seventy-five.

When he was asked why he would choose such a strange blade he said it gave him more reach, and if he could keep his opponent a good distance away then they won't be able to hit him. It was, of course, chakra-infused and he could channel his wind chakra through it, an ability that made almost anything he cut look like a ripe fruit.

He wasn't allowed to channel chakra through it in spars due to it just cutting through his sparring partner's sword if he did so. It had only a single strap with one end on the edge of the sheath and one near the hilt end. He would usually sling it over his shoulder, but the handle would be pointing down as opposed to resting over his shoulder.

When asked how he kept the sword from falling out he would usually come up with a lie but the truth was that he'd had Leo place small magnets inside the very top of the sheath, making it stick to the rectangular guard of the handle.

He'd also had several more interactions with the old advisor who he had learned was named Danzo. He still hadn't told anyone about their meetings since the man gave him free jutsu he could get from no one else and the man was an advisor of the Hokage, he couldn't be a bad person.

It didn't change the fact he got bad vibes from Danzo but that didn't mean he was bad.

He'd also started actually getting into Fuinjutsu, there were ten levels and for one to progress to the next level they would have to make a certain seal that worked. For level one it was the storage seal, for level two it was an explosive tag, for level three it was a weight seal, for four a gravity, for five a barrier, and so on and so forth. His father had refused to tell him what level ten was and it had only made Naruto more and more curious.

His mother wouldn't budge on the fact either and he'd given up asking. He was currently on the very beginning of level three, he actually had made level three two nights ago so he knew he was nowhere near four.

His friendship with Suki had declined slightly. Once he'd made Chunnin she had basically stopped coming over and whenever he had free time to actually hang out with her of his own free will she was at the Academy or training with her father. He didn't understand why Suki was acting this way, whenever he asked people they would usually look at him like he's stupid then walk away.

Not his fault women were difficult.

He was broken from his thoughts by a scream, not his mother's, this was much more child-like and Naruto instantly stood up, curious to see his younger sibling.

Before he could even see them they were taken away by Biwako who took the bundled child away, off to clean it leaving a somewhat crestfallen Naruto as he hovered over his mother as his father checked the last finishing touches on her seal. He'd been told months ago when they realized he was going to be there at the cabin and that he would have to know why she was giving birth up here of all places. Worry was clear in his eyes as he looked down at his sweating and panting mother.

His father wasn't looking too great either, the man was clearly tired from constantly keeping the Nine-tails at bay but he held a brave face for his family. He started when he felt a hand touch his wrist, it felt cold and clammy and he looked down to see his mother's purple orbs staring at him with warmth. "We're okay Naru-chan." the woman whispered and Naruto returned the smile the woman gave him as he looked over to see the progress on his sister.

Naruto was gone in a flash of speed as a clang was heard, immediately attracting both Minato and Kushina's attention to the sight. Naruto was standing in front of a startled Biwako as he blocked a kunai from a hooded individual wearing a mask, the other nurse dead behind him as Naruto grit his teeth against the intruder. Naruto pushed forward in a surprising show of strength and imagine everyone's surprise when he went through the man as if he wasn't there and appeared on his other side as he staggered to a stop.

He looked down at himself in shock before turning in concern and worry only to widen his eyes in horror at seeing Biwako dead as well, his little sister in the man's arms as he held a kunai above her head. Minato glanced at the dead Biwako worriedly as well as the shaking in rage Naruto. "Step away from the Jinchuuriki Kiiroi Senko," the hooded man said as Minato put his hands above his head in a placating motion before taking three slow steps from Kushina.

"Why don't we all just calm down?" asked the man, stressing the all as he took in Naruto's grit teeth and bone white grip on his odachi.

"Oh, I'm perfectly calm Hokage-sama. But little Naruto-kun here isn't~" the man teased as Naruto violently grit his teeth in anger, almost hard enough to hear them grit together. "How fast are you, Kiiroi Senko?" asked the man as he threw the baby in the air, instantly causing three things to happen.

The first was Kushina screaming out in worry as she watched her newborn child be tossed like a ragdoll in the air. The second was Minato disappearing to catch the child as he smiled down at her. The third was Naruto slashing for the mysterious shinobi again only to go through him again, the blue hum of Naruto's blade signifying the use of Wind Chakra that would have had the man meeting his demise. Just as he passed through the robed shinobi the man threw a kunai into the boy's shoulder, making him cry out in pain as he slid to the floor reaching around to rip out the offending knife.

Naruto glanced up as he saw a glowing cloth flying through the air, he recognized the explosive tags and watched as his mother and the attacker warped away he cursed as he jumped through the window in front of him, the explosion hit him in the back as he did so.

The blonde flew through the air for roughly ten feet before impacting with a tree, shards of glass in his body in numerous places and his back was burned and charred from the explosion. Naruto laid there, reeling in pain as he thought over what had just happened, his mother was taken and his father and little sister were missing. Just before he could think on it any longer a hand grabbed his arm and he was gone in a flash of yellow. Naruto gasped in pain as he fell to the floor causing the glass to dig in further.

"Naruto this is-" the man was cut off by Naruto himself who coughed while shaking his head.

"I-It's fine, go s-save K-Kaa-chan!" he hissed in pain as he removed a particularly nasty wooden shard from his side. Minato hesitated but Naruto glared at him, the first time he'd ever glared at his father. Minato gave a hurried nod, setting the baby down on the bed as Naruto slowly took the shards of glass and wood from his body. Minato was gone in another flash of yellow, leaving a bleeding Naruto with an infant in a crib. It was moments like these that he wished Tsunade had stayed with them in the house and not gone to the Senju compound.

He finally finished removing the last piece of wood from his leg before sitting down, exasperated and exhausted from the pain. He wanted to lay down but his back still stung too much to do that. He was able to crawl to see his little sister for the first time though, and he did just that. He crawled on his elbows and knees and was now right next to his little sister's face, peering down into her beautiful blue eyes. She was the best of both of his parents, her red silky hair on top with the baby blue eyes of his father.

He raised a shaky bloody hand and stroked her cheek, smiling as he did so before a cold wave of dread hit him and a massive roar that despite being miles away sounded as if five feet away. He stood on shaky knees and hobbled to the window and his fears were confirmed as a massive red nine-tailed fox roared in the distance.

Once he'd learned about his mother being a jinchuuriki he researched everything he could about them. There wasn't much just that usually, Jinchuuriki were incredibly strong, and that having your bijuu forcefully removed always resulted in instant death. He returned to the bed as he kneeled next to his sister, his wounds slowly closing as he stroked her head, smearing some blood on the top of it. "Heh, sorry Mito-chan." he shakily spoke as he smiled down at the innocent ten-minute-old baby.

He stumbled as his father appeared in another flash of yellow, his mother in his arms. "K-Kaa-chan." the boy stuttered as he tried to stand and had to lean against the bed frame to do so but achieved it nonetheless as he watched his father place his mother inside the bed next to his baby sister.

"Hello Naru-chan, Mito-chan." the woman whispered as she nuzzled the baby against her cheek. "Be careful," she said a bit louder as Minato stood at his closet, taking his cloak off the hanger. "And good luck," she whispered as the man shoved the cloak on and took a breath.

"I'll be right back." the man said before he was gone in a flash leaving the three Uzumaki alone.

"She's beautiful isn't she, Naru-chan?" asked the woman as Naruto smiled in contentment, his father would beat back the beast he never lost. He leaned over and kissed both mother and sibling on the top of their head, smiling as he did so.

"Hai Kaa-chan, I'll have to beat back boys with a stick." said the boy as Kushina let out a sob/laugh as she and her children enjoyed the moment. It was not meant to be though as not fifteen minutes later Minato reappeared, a grave look on his face as Kushina shed silent tears knowing what is to come.

The man walked over, putting a hand on both wife and son with his daughter cradled by his wife before the four were gone in a flash. Naruto fell to his knees as he felt the power of the Kyuubi, it had been heavily suppressed at home since it was so far that he hadn't even felt it. But now, now it was suffocating. The sheer hatred and malice behind the aura of the Bijuu was something Naruto never thought was possible to be felt.

Suddenly his father took his sister as numerous chains erupted from his mother's back, shooting into the ground before shooting back up and looping all around the Kyuubi. Naruto watched as his mother spat up some blood and his father ran through hand seals and Naruto knew then and there a feeling he'd never felt.

Useless.

He could do nothing, there was no power he had in his inventory that he could use against the massive beast before him, it was made of chakra so it would be impossible to hurt through conventional means and he had no bloodline like his mothers to restrain the beast, nor Fuuinjutsu knowledge as deep as his fathers to be of any help.

So, he just watched on as everything happened.

He watched as his father summoned the Shinigami, he watched as the Kyuubi was sealed in between his father and sister, and then he watched as it impaled both of his parents on its claw. He staggered forward as he stared up at his mother and father's faces, not believing this was really happening.

"H-Hi, Naru-chan." whispered the woman before exploding into a fit of coughs of blood that splattered against his sister. Minato angled his head over Kushina's shoulder and smiled at him as blood slid from his lips as well. Naruto let out a choked sob as he looked at his impaled parents.

They'd given their lives to protect the King of Konoha.

"no. no, no, no, no, No, NO!" he started it as a whisper but was soon screaming as he cried, staring up at his parents who just kept smiling as if it was all okay. "Please don't go, I don't want you to go, I love you Kaa-chan, tou-san, please don't leave me please," he whispered, tears going down in rivers from his cheeks as Kushina just kept smiling at him.

"Make sure you keep care of your sister Naru-chan, she's gonna.. need... it..." the woman trailed off as she fell limp on the claw, eyes blank despite the kind smile still on her lips.

 **"Fuuin,"** whispered Minato as the Kyuubi faded away and disappeared into Mito. "Goodbye, my son." whispered the man before he too fell limp on the claw and soon both of them were on the floor next to each other. Naruto couldn't take it, his legs fell out beneath him as he sobbed while staring down at the bodies of his parents.

A baby crying dragged his attention away from his dead parents as he turned to the baby in the crib. He stared down at the spiral seal on the baby's belly as rage filled him, he took a three-pronged kunai and held it above the baby's head. His hand shook furiously as he stared down at it.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" he shouted and just before he could bring down the kunai he reeled his head back as if struck, hand stopping inches from the baby's head with the kunai almost poking her nose.

 _"Naruto-kun, whisper who the King is in my ear." said the old man as Naruto approached him, leaning down to whisper in the old man's ear as he cupped his mouth._

 _"The next generation."_

He stared down at the innocent face and then the kunai in his hand before he chucked the blade away as if it was burning him, instead instantly scooping the infant into his arms as he held it, rocking it slightly to try and stop it's crying. It didn't stop for the longest time until Naruto finally figured out a solution. "How about a song Mito-chan?" asked the grief-stricken boy as he rocked her in his arms.

"Hush little baby don't say a word,

"Aniki's gonna buy you a Mockingbird.

"And if that Mockingbird doesn't sing,

"Aniki'll buy you a diamond ring.

"And if that diamond ring turns to brass,

"Aniki'll get you a looking glass.

"And if that looking glass gets broke,

"Aniki'll get you a billy goat."

Hiruzen, as well as hundreds of other ninjas, had arrived at this scene and most of the gather people wept for the loss of the Hokage, but those close to the family feared for pour Naruto who was on the brink of insanity as it was. Hiruzen shed more than a few tears for both pairs of people as the crowd went silent, listening to the nursery rhyme that filled the clearing.

"And if that billy goat won't pull,

"Aniki'll buy you a cart and bull.

"And if that cart and bull turn over,

"Aniki'll get you a dog named Rover.

"And if that dog named Rover won't bark,

"Aniki'll get you a horse and cart.

"And if that horse and cart fall down,

"You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town."

* * *

Naruto kicked a massive trunk of wood, his face was indifferent as he did so and despite his leg being splintered and bleeding he still kicked it. And if the pain became too much he would switch to the other leg. In front of him were over a hundred different versions of him, all of them doing different things.

He had another fifty back at home researching everything and anything about seals, he needed to become stronger. He refused to ever feel useless while he watched people he loved get slaughtered, never again would he have to watch from the sidelines as those he loved were harmed.

He'd given Mito to Mikoto since the woman actually was a woman and was still lactating after having her third child two months ago. Therefore, the milk and nutrients the child needed Mikoto was able to take care of so he'd given her to Mikoto and before the woman could question him he'd been gone in a shunshin.

The funeral had been this morning but he hadn't gone, he'd grieved for his parents last night he didn't need to do it again. He was also trying to ignore the stares, the sadness, the same look.

 **Pity.**

Naruto loathed pity, it was people feeling sorry for him and trying to kiss his ass to become close to the last two Namikaze in favor of the prodigy Naruto. He didn't think of himself as a prodigy, just a person who didn't do anything but train. He was not like those his age who would mess around with crushing on people who were attractive or trying to play at the park, he'd had those things years ago but not now. Now was a time to further proceed in his shinobi career.

Naruto heard a certain crack as he kicked the log firmly one more time, hissing in pain as he fractured his shin. That would take at least a day to heal in the hospital, three on its own. He hobbled as he switched legs and kicked with the other one, not noticing the audience he had.

It was a group of close to thirty people, Tsunade, Shizune, Jiraiya, Hiruzen, Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, Anko, Mikoto, Fugaku, Shisui, Itachi, Tsume, Shikaku, Chouza, Shikaku, Inoichi, Shibi, Genma, Hiashi, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, and several other people he felt he should know but simply didn't.

The boy was not wearing a shirt, showing them the scars he had gained the previous night in several places, specifically his shoulder where the kunai had stabbed. It also showed the pink skin of his back that showed second-degree burns yet he acted as if it didn't bother him.

They'd all heard the crack of the boy's leg and several people had to be restrained from running to him and stopping him from harming himself further. The key feature about all of these people was that they were wearing all black, just having come from the funeral for the Kyuubi Attack.

Hiruzen stepped forward, raising a hand behind him to placate those who would wish to run at the boy. "Naruto-kun." the old man's wizened voice wrung out as Naruto paused, his last kick having connected as his leg stayed at the log.

The boy slowly retracted his leg, turning to see the group of people behind him but he only focused on Hiruzen, not his baby sister in Mikoto's arms, not the tears in Suki's eyes, nor anything else. The blonde bowed at the hip as thunder rang across the skies, signifying the upcoming storm as several of the shinobi took out umbrellas to protect them from the upcoming deluge as the rain trickled in.

"I am sorry about Biwako-chan Jiji, I was weak." the boy apologized to the aged Sarutobi who sighed at the reminder of his late wife.

"Is this the reason for your current training, you believe you to be weak?" asked the old man, ignoring the still fresh wound that was his wife's death. Naruto returned to his previous height as he cast an eye behind the man, acknowledging the people for a brief second before his eyes flickered back to Hiruzen.

"What is it you came to do Hokage-sama?" asked the blonde as Hiruzen raised a brow at the now wet blonde, his raincoat protecting him from the weather.

"How do you know I am retaking the mantle?" asked the man as Naruto didn't so much as blink before he answered.

"It is only logical, no one else has the capability. Jiraiya would say no, Tsunade would say no, Kakashi isn't ready, neither is anyone else but you who has been the Hokage before. You becoming the Hokage would put many people's minds at rest knowing there was someone competent in this time of crisis." the blonde's answer was blunt and efficient, not even using his nicknames for Tsunade nor Jiraiya.

"That is sound reasoning Naruto-kun. Now why are you out here?" asked the man as Naruto tightened his lips.

"Why are you here Hokage-sama? Should you not be comforting your son over the loss of his mother?" asked the man and he could practically see Asuma wince from here, a feat since he wasn't paying attention to the man and there was wet blonde hair in his eyes. Hiruzen tensed slightly at the subtle yet hostile barb as he narrowed his eyes.

"Should you not be taking care of your sister?" the man's answer was cold but it was deserved.

"I can not lactate for her so I am not needed in her growth. I leave it up to Mikoto to successfully raise a fourth child, she has experience whilst I do not." the blonde didn't even flinch from the insult by Sarutobi, his eyes did narrow though and he had clenched his right fist tightly.

"But for what reason are you out here, breaking bone instead of mourning?" asked the older man as the blonde held his gaze. Naruto was growing, he was almost as tall as Hiruzen himself.

"I grieved for my fallen parents last night. I do not need to go to their grave to do that." the blonde said and this time several people in the crowd narrowed their eyes in anger. Tsume was holding a hand over Kiba's mouth to keep him from yelling, while Shisui and Itachi had their eyes narrowed and Sharingan active. Something Naruto noticed.

"Hm, well since you have grieved yourself why not help other people grieve, I'm sure they would enjoy your company in this tough time." the man said, many people in the crowd perked up at that.

"I have never lost anyone before last night and was able to grieve alone. You have all had a lifetime to practice grieving, I'm sure you would not need the comfort of an orphan eight-year-old," the blonde had turned eight a month ago. The blonde did not even continue talking, simply turning to walk away to resume his training.

"Stop being such a teme!" shouted a boisterous voice which was quickly clamped shut but the damage had been done. Naruto turned almost robotically slow as he faced Kiba who looked very angry but his mother was hissing in his ear while keeping a firm grip over her son's mouth.

"Tsume-san?" asked the blonde's dead voice which caused the Inuzuka Matriarch to drag her gaze to an unreadable Naruto. "Please remove your hand from his mouth, I wish to hear what he has to say." said the blonde as his blue eyes shined with an unknown emotion under his wet locks. Tsume looked like she'd swallowed something bitter but removed her hands nonetheless as Kiba snarled at Naruto. Several people were shuffling a bit closer to Kiba, in the case, Naruto attempted to attack him they would have to at least keep him from getting a close-range kill.

"Please explain your reasoning in calling me a te-me." the blonde asked of the brown-haired boy.

"You got all of these people here wanting to help you but you're just being a stupid baka who won't see it! You're also acting like a douche to Hokage-sama! These people can get over their pain why don't you take some tips!?" the brown-haired boy yelled, seeming relaxed as he got that off his chest.

"As I knew you know nothing about the people around you." the blonde said as he pointed to Hiruzen. "Would you prefer I be like him, drowning myself in paperwork and fake smiles so no one sees my pain? Or would you rather have me be like Kakashi always reading smut in public?"

"Naruto." a warning said by the Sandaime but Naruto ignored it, it would seem Kiba broke the camel's back.

"Or maybe I should be like Asuma, running away from his family so he can protect a Daimyo? Maybe I should be like Gai and yell about youth and train myself into the ground?" asked the blonde as Sarutobi grit his teeth lightly.

"Naruto!" the man threatened again but again it went unheard.

"Or maybe I should run around the fucking Elemental Nations, fucking prostitutes and be saying I want to find the chosen one! OR MAYBE I SHOULD DROWN MYSELF IN SAKE AND RUN AWAY!" the blonde screamed and you could see the people he mentioned either gritting their teeth in anger or they were sad at the reminder of their failures.

Before the Sandaime could yell at the boy, Naruto was suddenly wrapped in a hug. Suki had run forward, ripping from her brother's grip and had run to Naruto before wrapping him in a hug as she cried into his chest. "Stop." she sobbed, Naruto's eyes widening as he looked down at the girl who slowly became wet from the rain. "Please stop," she whispered into his chest and Naruto's rage went away. He inhaled and exhaled through his nose, closing his eyes as he did so.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a light squeeze, leaning down so his forehead rested against her slick raven locks. "I'm sorry," he whispered before letting go of the girl but she did not let go. Naruto pats her head like he did when they were younger, only making her snuggle into him further causing the blonde to frown.

"I'm not letting go until you come back with us," she whispered, tightening her hold on the boy and while he could have easily overpowered her he didn't want to hurt her. He saw that her eyes were shut, and closed his eyes before making a sealless Kawarimi with a clone, Suki didn't even notice as he was replaced.

The other's did though as they rose their brows or narrowed them at how he avoided those who care for him. The clone walked back with Suki to Itachi and Shisui which instantly got decked by Shisui as the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke and Suki's eyes widened in shock, she'd been fooled.

"It is impossible to get over one's pain mutt. You simply have to either let it consume you or bury it so deep it makes people think you're fine. I do not wish to forget my pain, forgetting my pain would mean forgetting my parents and I do not wish to forget them anytime soon. Now leave me, this is Namikaze ground and you are not permitted here." the blonde said coldly before resuming his training, this time making a clone as he unsealed his sword from his left wrist, waiting for the clones to come at him.

They fought at speeds faster than the academy students could register as the blonde trained. The group left defeated and hurt as they left Naruto alone to deal with his demons.

Suki silently wept as her crush and best friend pushed her away even further. The gap between them was getting too big. Itachi rubbed his little sister's back as he cast a cautious glance at the boy who further isolated himself from those who love him.

* * *

Naruto sat in his father's old office, reading through a fuuinjutsu book when a knock rang out through his house. He scowled at his casted leg and used his Odachi as a makeshift cane to go to the door, opening it to reveal Danzo. This was the first time the man had ever sought him out, outside of a park or public area. "Naruto." the old man did not seem to use suffixes for peoples names, it just was not in his nature.

"Danzo-san." the blonde said as he moved aside for the old War Hawk, he couldn't have the man standing outside of his house like that, it would be rude and improper. He shut the door behind the man as the two people using canes went to the sitting room. Naruto waited until the older man sat down before sitting down himself in an armchair across from the man.

A clone came from nowhere with a chess box but Danzo waved it off. "I am not here to play Naruto." said the old man, Naruto raised a brow but the clone nonetheless left with the board before dispelling. "My condolences on the loss of your mother and father, they were invaluable to the village." Naruto dipped his head to the man, he was right.

Losing the last pure-blooded Uzumaki and the Yondaime Hokage was quite possibly some of the worst-case scenarios that could have happened last night. He also knew that Danzo was not giving him pity, the man was honestly upset with the loss of two of Konoha's biggest hitters.

"When we first met you were not ready," the man said as he put his hand inside of his robe before removing a mask with marks of a kitsune. "But now you are." said the man as he placed the mask on the table between them.

Naruto picked up the mask as he stared at it. "Is this an invitation?" asked the boy as Danzo nodded. "Hokage-sama knows?" asked the boy again as Danzo nodded.

"He signed the paper this morning." said the man as Naruto nodded before dipping his head to the man again.

"I accept." the boy said as Danzo nodded in affirmative before standing, grabbing his cane as he did so.

"You are to report to HeadQuarters tomorrow morning at eight to get your paperwork sorted as well as to get your tattoo." the man said as he limped to the door before turning his head slightly. "I expect great things from you Naruto Namikaze." said the man before he was gone, leaving Naruto with his thoughts.

Being an ANBU had always been a part of his dream since he was still succeeding in his goal, he'd beaten Itachi's time on becoming Gennin, becoming Chunnin, and now becoming ANBU. Now he simply had to become an ANBU Captain in the next five years and he would be set with succeeding Itachi. Before he could even delve into his thoughts further a knock sounded at his door as he blinked in confusion, no one should be here this early.

Danzo was understandable but for someone else, it was basically unheard of. He opened the door, revealing an ANBU at his door. "There is a Council meeting you are told to attend." said the man as Naruto mutely nodded, it would seem people wanted to know the story of last night.

"I'll be there momentarily," the blonde said and the ANBU gave a single nod before staying there, prompting Naruto to raise a brow.

"I was told to not leave without you Namikaze-san." Naruto clicked his tongue as he nodded in understanding before disappearing into his house, reappearing moments later with his Chunnin jacket and sword strapped in his normal gear.

He'd changed his outfit from the foliage hiding material to some more loose clothing. He wore a mesh undershirt that went to his elbows which was covered by a zipped up navy blue jacket. Then there was his Chunnin jacket over that, with a pair of black baggy cargo pants which were taped off at the ankles before going into his dark green sandals with a large white cast over one leg.

The ANBU put a hand on his shoulder and like that the two were gone, appearing outside of the council doors. He'd never actually been in the room now that he thought about it, he'd waited out here before but he'd never gone inside.

The ANBU who escorted him pushed the door open for him and he hobbled inside, watching as it shut behind him before it gave off a dull blue glow and it was sealed. He turned to see a circular table that spanned the room with numerous people sitting in seats most of which he recognized. Then the circle ended and on a podium slightly higher than the other desks was the Hokage desk.

"This meeting is now in session," the Hokage said as the dull murmurs that had been there previously ceased as they turned their attention back to the Hokage. "Two nights ago was as most of you know, the Kyuubi attack. The thing we do not know is what and how it happened. The only survivor of the incident is Naruto-kun here." the man said as he gestured to the blonde as most turned their attention to him.

"Would you care to explain what happened Naruto-kun?" asked the old man as Naruto's gaze flicked to the civilian side of the council. He walked up and cupped his hand around Hiruzen's ear, whispering so others wouldn't hear them. This continued for a few moments and just as most of the council was getting restless Naruto pulled back, Hiruzen nodding as he did so.

"From this point of the meeting onward, is for shinobi ears only. You are excused, Civilian Chair." the man said as many of the civilians looked like they'd eaten something rotten.

"Why can't we hear this! We had people die in that attack too!" a blonde female exclaimed in anger as other civilians nodded with her. Hiruzen looked to Naruto and nodded to him, allowing the blonde to talk. The Namikaze turned to the civilians with a flat stare.

"I don't trust you." the boy said, many civilians narrowing their eyes at him in anger. "You do not understand the fact that this is a shinobi matter and as such you have no point in being here unless you know the advanced seals of Fuuinjutsu on par with my father?" asked the blonde as most civilians pursed their lips.

"But you don't either!" the blonde women said with a wag of the finger as Naruto shrugged.

"I am here because I am like Hokage-sama said, the only surviving member of that night and the only person who can tell them what happened. You, on the other hand, are not needed." the blonde said and before the woman could retort yet again she was interrupted.

"I said the civilians shall leave, Haruno-san." the man said as the woman scowled fiercely but left nonetheless. Soon, it was just the advisors and the clan heads. "You may begin Naruto-kun." said the old man as Naruto nodded before starting.

"As some of you may or may not know my mother, Kushina Uzumaki was the Jinchuuriki to the Kyuubi no Yoko," he noticed how surprise flashed over most of their faces but didn't care. "A seal containing a Bijuu on a female is risky because the seal weakens quite a fair amount when giving birth. On the night of October tenth, my mother gave birth to my little sister Mito Uzumaki. My father held down the beast inside of the seal and made sure it did not escape.

"The birth went smoothly, the baby was born and the Kyuubi was not released. While my father and I were checking on my mother, we let down our guard and that is when he struck. I went to check on my baby sister and saw the mysterious man raising a kunai on Biwako-san. I got in between them and blocked the blade but when I tried to push back against him, I phased through him." this caused murmurs around the council as many narrowed their eyes.

"What do you mean phased through him, and who is this man?" asked the head of the Hyuuga.

"I mean what I said Hyuuga-san, I literally phased through him as he became transparent. As for who he is, I have no clue," he ignored the part where he had seen a Sharingan in the man's eye, he would tell the Uchiha family later no point in having the whole council be accusing the Uchiha. "When I phased through him he took the chance and killed Biwako-san before taking my baby sister from her grip, and used her as leverage to keep me and my father away.

"He made us go away from my mother and he threw my baby sister into the air and while my father went for my sister, I went to attack the man. I again slashed right through him with my sword and when I turned around, he was warping away with my mother and there was a bundle of exploding tags in the air. I jumped through the window but was severely hurt by the attack. My father came with my sister and took us back to our house to take us to safety.

"He then was brought back out mother moments later-"

"What happened to the masked man?" Hiashi seemed very curious about the masked man.

"I do not know, I did not seem him again that night. I assume my father took care of him but I do not know for sure. Me, my mother, and my sister waited for a long time as my father fought the Kyuubi. He then returned and took us all to the battlefield. He then proceeded to use an advanced Fuuinjutsu called the **Shiki Fujin** to seal the beast. He sealed half of it in himself, taking it with him to the grave and the other half into my baby sister Mito."

He instantly saw the looks, the same look he had on his face last night when he'd first met his baby sister. "This is why I did not wish for the civilians to be here, for they would not understand the difference between a jailor and it's sealed object. If you have any doubts, know that this seal involved using the Shinigami's power itself, there is no power stronger and it was easily able to seal the beast into my sister. It is also only at half power, it has no chance of escape.

"Finally as the Kyuubi was about to finish being sealed it made one final desperate attempt on my sister, but my parents intercepted it and were impaled by the claw and effectively stopped it from killing my sister." Dead silence was in the council room as they digested this knowledge.

"I have come to this solution," the old Hokage said, gaining the attention of the council. "I will keep the child's knowledge as a container a secret, an S-ranked secret as of this night and if you are to say anything about this or tell anyone I shall execute you myself." the man said, lacing his tone with some Killer Intent to get the point across. "I will tell the village that the Kyuubi was simply defeated and that Minato-kun killed it. This Masked Man shall also be a secret, there is no need to worry the village over a mysterious man we know almost nothing about." the man said as the council members nodded.

"I hereby declare this meeting adjourned."

* * *

Naruto stepped up to the front desk of the ANBU HeadQuarters building. It was hidden fairly well so civilians couldn't find it but it was fairly straightforward so far. "I was told to come here by Danzo-san." the blonde told the hawk mask that looked at him as it took out a clipboard.

"Name." it wasn't a question.

"Naruto Namikaze, code name Kitsune." the boy said, the mask was already on his face along with his normal attire. The person nodded before stepping through the door behind him. He was there for a good ten more seconds before she came back with a bundle. She put it through the hole between them, showing the bundle holding a pair of standard-issue ANBU attire and a note on top of it.

The note read to go to room B three, so he headed off to the stairs. The floors were labeled through letters with the ground level floor being A and the further down the next letter. He walked down the stairs and got to the room on the note, knocking on the door as he did so.

It was answered by a burly man with a bear mask. Naruto handed him the note as the man grunted before waving the boy in. "Sit there," the man said as he pointed to the chair in the middle of the room as he went to the table next to it, blocking him from seeing the items on the table. "Take off your top clothes." the man said and Naruto blinked before he saw the needle in the man's hand and realized this must be where he gets the tattoo.

He nods as he takes off his vest shirt and mesh leaving his skin exposed to the cold air of the underground headquarters. The man pulled up a chair as he activated the needle, drawing a hum from it. "This is gonna sting like a bitch by the way," was all the warning he got before the needle pierced his skin and he inhaled sharply before biting his lip to keep from yelling out.

The agony carried on for over ten more minutes before the man pulled back, wiping a wet cold rag over the mark. "Done," the man said before getting up to put back his utensils. "Welcome to ANBU kid." the man said as Naruto looked down at the new mark on his bicep just below the shoulder. Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow as he threw on his clothes and reattached his sword to the back. The man gave him another note as Naruto took it along with the bundle of clothes he still had with him.

Naruto read the room number on the note before walking out with a bit more confidence in his step, he was now ANBU.

He made it to H seven and knocked on the door, hearing a muffled come in he opened the door and came to the sight of a man behind a desk. The man looked up at him and nodded once before standing. "My name is Yamato, I will be your ANBU captain from now on." the man said as he held forward a hand for the boy to shake.

"Naruto Namikaze," the youngest ANBU said as Tenzo made no physical acknowledgment about the name.

"Go get changed into your new clothes, Kitsune." Naruto nodded as he prepared himself for his day in ANBU.

* * *

 **Sorry for those of you who were looking forward to a Chunnin Exams, I didn't want to do that since I needed to get the story rolling fairly soon. I also don't like writing so many OC's for Chunnin Exams, it's hard to keep track of them all.**


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